Affordable sleeper cabins in NYC to book
The Sleeper Cabin in Now Now NoHo hotel in New York City. Credit: Now Now NoHo
Is it the city that never sleeps or the city where it’s impossible to sleep?
That’s the question increasingly on the minds of New York City visitors, where average Manhattan hotel rates rocketed to $417 a night on average last September according to CoStar, a real estate analytics firm. And while such prices have made Gotham prohibitively expensive for many tourists, Long Islanders too have been affected, especially those who might want to stay overnight in the city after a Broadway show or basketball game, rather than head home on a late train.
Hence, the increasing popularity of hotels specializing in sleeper cabins. What are sleeper cabins, you ask? Single-occupancy rooms, in most cases, which is perhaps a blessing, as many are roughly the size of large refrigerators. Also, bathroom and shower facilities are down the hall. But don’t get the idea that these are YMCAs or flophouses. Far from it. Taking a cue from Japanese capsule hotels and those tiny warrens where Europeans sleep on trains, sleeper cabin hotels offer privacy and postage stamp luxury at paltry prices — sometimes as low as a hundred bucks a night or less.
Now Now NoHo
338 Bowery, Manhattan
The newest arrival on the sleeper cabin scene is this 180-room establishment, which opens April 1 in downtown Manhattan. Yes, some rooms are a mere 23 square feet, but they’re tricked out with premium mattresses, French linens, plush robes and slippers. What else? Oh yes, instead of traditional ceilings, rooms are topped with acoustic baffles ("think really big slats with 3-inch spaces between them," says Now Now), which is probably why rooms are also equipped with white noise machines, eye masks and earplugs. But hey, they cost just $125. (Slightly larger accommodations are available for $155 a night, if you feel like splurging.)
A hallway with sleeper cabins in the Now Now NoHo hotel. Credit: Now Now NoHo
Otherwise, Now Now, whose location is perhaps best described as sort-of East Village, sort-of Soho and sort-of Lower East Side, is outfitted with communal bathrooms that are swanky, fun and stocked with high-end bath products. (One floor of the hotel is designated for women and nonbinary guests only.) There’s also a lounge to encourage guests to commingle on-site, a calendar of hotel-sponsored events for off-site mingling and a vending machine selling adaptogenic mushroom gummies (in case the mask, plug and noise machine don’t do the trick?)
Shared and lockable bathrooms located in the hotel. Credit: Now Now NoHo
As for entertainment, you’ll have to survive without an in-room TV — where would they put it? — but for a price, Now Now will rent you everything from, yes, noise-canceling headphones to Nintendo Game Boys, to Apple iPads, to one of those red-light therapy masks that make you look like "Halloween"’s Michael Myers, to virtual reality goggles to keep the walls from closing in.
More info 332-777-5338, staynownow.com
Other cabins to consider
The Jane Hotel
113 Jane St., Manhattan
This West Village sleeper cabin hotel, which is also near the Meatpacking District and High Line, reopened in 2009, having started life as the 1908 American Seaman’s Friend Sailors’ Home and Institute. In 1912, the property hosted survivors of the Titanic, some of whose staterooms were likely larger than this hotel’s 100 standard and 20 bunk bed cabins, which start at $129 a night and $149 a night (double occupancy), respectively. But all rooms have TVs and free Wi-Fi, and robes and slippers are provided for down-the-hall bathrooms.
More info 212-924-6700, thejanenyc.com.
Nap York
940 8th Ave., Manhattan
Birthing his idea for a sleeper cabin facility after missing a 4 a.m. train to New Jersey, entrepreneur Neil Wong endured doubters, legal battles and a pandemic on the way to opening upscale "sleep stations" originally designed for, well, nappers interested in booking the briefest of stays at his properties near Penn Station and JFK Airport (e.g., $27 for one hour, $45 for four). Yet a third property, however — on Eighth Avenue near Central Park — hosts overnight guests as well, even if the cheapest beds are in hostel-like rooms (e.g., $89 a night per bed in a room that holds six, $96 per bed for two-person rooms).
More info 917-478-6921, napyork.com.
The Pod Hotel
400 W. 42nd St., 230 E. 51st St. and 145 E. 39th St., Manhattan
The OG pioneer in cabin comforts, this three-property stalwart likes to say they "transformed the NYC hotel scene into a unique and affordable experience." Be that as it may, the Pods — in Murray Hill, Times Square and the Midtown East sections of Manhattan — are unquestionably a bargain, at least relatively, with bunk pods (for two bunkers, bathroom down the hall) starting at just $83 a night in Murray Hill. Private rooms with shared bathrooms possess a unique feature (indicators to let you know when the facilities are occupied) and hover around $100 a night, while singles with private baths sometimes come available for as little as $119 a night. All rooms include TVs (one for each bunk!) and desks.
More info thepodhotel.com.
Newsday writer and restaurant critic Scott Vogel aims for a refreshing, gimlet-eyed take on the Long Island food scene, often while drinking a refreshing gimlet.
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