Nu Hotel

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Touted as downtown Brooklyn’s first boutique hotel, the 93-room Nu has a stylish, ecofriendly aesthetic accented with reminders of the borough’s rich heritage. The distinctive outside-address numbers come from the Brooklyn Brewery; the industrial-looking letters spelling �YES� on the wall of the airy lobby are from family-run Bayside Fuel Oil; and on each of the three room floors, elevators open onto a wall plastered with quotes from famous Brooklynites like Spike Lee, Henry Miller, or Betty Smith. Green touches like organic white bedding, cork flooring, and desks and nightstands made of sustainably harvested teakwood dot the smallish rooms, while "Do Not Disturb" signs reading �Don’t Even Think About It� and the minibar’s �intimacy kit� give them some outer-borough edge. (For even more quirky touches, consider one of the six specialty suites, which feature fun elements like bunk beds or hammocks that look out over the restaurants and shops below.) Business travelers will like the free Wi-Fi, laptop-size safes, and full-length chalkboards (the latter, albeit, in the bathroom), while all guests should appreciate the flat-screen televisions, Sangean soundboxes, and Aveda bath products. Guests can grab a complimentary continental breakfast in the morning, then unwind at the end of a long day with a drink at the small lobby service bar or a stint in the 24-hour fitness center, stocked with yoga mats. — Julie Mehta

Unusual design elements and an easy commute to lower Manhattan make this an offbeat alternative for business travelers.

Cons
As the rates are comparable to those of Manhattan hotels, tourists might prefer to be closer to midtown.

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