Wyndham Garden Chinatown

The Wyndham Garden Chinatown opened its doors in November 2012, providing a welcome addition to the lower Manhattan mid-range hotel scene. The hotel caters to both business and leisure travelers, with features such as meeting rooms, a fitness center, and free Wi-Fi.The hotel lobby is a welcome retreat from the Chinatown crowds, with its bright lighting, soft music, and minimalist furnishings. Toward the back, a fully stocked bar with fluorescent blue lighting beckons, while a staircase leads down two levels to the Elevate Restaurant & Lounge, which offers modern Japanese and American cuisine as well as a free continental breakfast.A highlight of the hotel is its 17th-floor event space, which is equally suitable for a cocktail party or board meeting. The outdoor terrace offers breathtaking views of the city.

The Wyndham Garden Chinatown is located on the Bowery, one of Chinatown's main thoroughfares. Lined with old tenement buildings and a few cobblestoned streets, Chinatown -- and its ever-shrinking neighbor, Little Italy -- offer cultural charm by way of instant immersion: Most restaurants and shops sell imported goods and the great majority of signs and storefronts advertise in Chinese. To most tourists, its biggest draw is the abundance of outdoor vendors and shabby markets, where you can buy name-brand knock-offs for cheap. However, the neighborhood is also an up-and-coming nightlife destination, with hot spots like Le Baron and Apotheke serving up pricy cocktails and thumping electronica to downtown scenesters. The neighboring Lower East Side, which is within walking distance, also offers a varied assortment of trendy restaurants and bars.- Two blocks from the B, D subway lines; three blocks from J, Z subway lines; eight blocks from the 6 subway line; 10 blocks from the F, M subway line

• 30-minute subway ride to Central Park
• 25-minute subway ride to Times Square
• 20-minute subway ride to the Empire State Building
• 20-minute subway ride to the ferry terminal to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
• 25-minute subway ride to Rockefeller Center
• 30-minute subway ride to the American Museum of Natural History
• 45-minute subway ride or $15 taxi to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (also known as the "Met")
• 30-minute subway ride to the Museum of Modern Art (also known as the "MoMA")

Standard guest rooms start at 200 square feet -- a bit small by some standards, but average for New York and no smaller than the rooms at comparably priced hotels. Furnishings are modern but nondescript, in muted shades of brown and green. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow in significant natural light, while heavy-paned glass muffles much of the street noise. Some premium rooms on the second, seventh, and 15th floors come with private outdoor terraces -- a rarity for New York hotels.Rooms are available in 11 categories, with queen bed, king bed, and double/double bed options. The hotel also has a handful of one-bedroom suites, which are significantly more spacious at 500 square feet.- Comfortable pillow-top mattresses with signature WynRest 250-count linens

• Large HDTVs with premium channels
• Desks with work lamps and ergonomic chairs
• Bedside iPod dock/alarm clock combos
• Coffeemakers with Wolfgang Puck coffee
• Empty mini-fridges for guest use
• Free bottled water and nut snack
• Walk-in showers in most rooms; bathtubs in some Executive Queen rooms
• Bath & Body Works toiletries

• Small fitness center open to all guests
• Limited selection of cardio and strength-training equipment

Elevate Restaurant & Lounge is located two floors beneath the lobby and serves a seasonal menu of modern Japanese and American dishes, along with the hotel's included continental breakfast. Sample menu items include Crawfish Tempura, Sous Vide Duck Breast, and Tuna Loin "a La Plancha."

Fluorescent blue lights lend a contemporary feel to what is otherwise a standard lobby bar. Specialty cocktails include the Gummy Bear Martini (raspberry vodka, peach Schnapps, lemon juice, prosecco, gummy bears) and the Elevate Lemonade (dragonberry rum, mixed berries, mint leaves, St. Germain elderflower liquor, lemon juice, prosecco).

• 1,680-square-foot contemporary meeting and banquet space, with a 17th-floor outdoor terrace and magnificent views of the city
• Traditional executive boardroom, which can accommodate up to 20 people
• Audiovisual equipment for business functions available upon request
• Free Wi-Fi throughout the property
• Two communal PCs and free remote printing service
• Valet parking available for a fee