The catch at citizenM New York Bowery
Four things stand between the rooftop photograph and the stay, and three of them are the room. None of them is hidden and none of them is a fee, because nothing is added to the rate each night beyond tax. Between them, they are the reason the rate is what it is.
On our shortlists
- Best design hotels in New YorkA street-art stairwell and factory-built rooms planned to the inch
- Best value hotels in New YorkLowest rate of our ten, no nightly fee, and a rooftop bar upstairs
- Best central hotels in New YorkA minute from the J, with SoHo, Chinatown and Little Italy on foot
- Best hotels with a view in New YorkA Manhattan panorama from Premium view rooms, a rooftop bar above
Every room is the same 150 sq ft, and the bed fills most of it
There is one room in this building, sold four ways: about 150 sq ft (14 m²), and, the accessible rooms aside, every one identical. An XL king bed runs the width of the room under the wall-to-wall window and meets the walls on three sides, so there is one way in and out, and whoever sleeps by the wall climbs over the other at night. There is no wardrobe, only a few hangers in a hanging space and storage under the bed; there is a small desk, but no sofa and no bath. Paying more buys a higher floor or a better view, never another square foot. Room size is what guests mark the hotel down for, more than anything else.
What to do. Pack soft bags that slide under the bed, and treat the room as a bed with a window. If two of you are bringing two large suitcases, or you want a sofa and some floor space, this is the wrong building.
One bed per room, and no twins, extra beds, cots or connecting rooms
Every room has the one XL king and is planned for two adults sharing it. There are no twin rooms, no space for an extra bed, no cots and no connecting rooms, so two friends share a bed and a family of four needs two separate rooms. Children of 10 and under stay free, sharing that bed, which is as far as the room stretches. The bathroom does not help with privacy: the rain shower stands in a glass pod in the bedroom, and the basin is in the room too. And the roof bar admits only those aged 21 or over, so older children stay downstairs.
What to do. A couple with one small child should check with the hotel before booking. Two friends, or a family with two children, should book two rooms or another hotel.
There is no kettle, no room service, and breakfast is extra
The room has a small fridge but no coffee or tea maker and no minibar, and the hotel does not offer room service at any hour. Breakfast is not part of the room rate: the hot and cold buffet in canteenM runs from 6am to 11am every day, with unlimited barista coffee, and it is paid for on top, either added to the booking or bought on the morning. The first coffee of the day means getting dressed and taking the lift. In return, canteenM serves food and drink around the clock, and Mozzo Coffee, the hotel's café, opens at 7am on weekdays and 8am at weekends.
What to do. If breakfast is not on your booking, eat out: Thai Diner serves breakfast until 4pm three minutes away, and Russ & Daughters Cafe opens at 8.30am six minutes away on Orchard Street.
cloudM is a public bar for those 21 and over, and the terrace is a warm-weather space
The rooftop bar is the hotel's best-known room, and it is not a residents' lounge. It is open to anyone aged 21 or over, with no room key needed, and its tables can be booked ahead as at any other bar, so hotel guests share it with the rest of the city. Guests under 21 cannot go up at all. It opens at 1.30pm and closes at 12.30am, so there is no morning coffee on the roof. And the outdoor terrace is a warm-weather space: on a January night, the view from the Financial District to Midtown is through the glass of the indoor bar.
What to do. Book a table if a weekend evening up there matters to you. In winter, go up before dark for the view through the glass, then come down by the stairs, through the Museum of Street Art.
Who should skip it
Two friends who do not want to share a bed, families of four, and anyone travelling with large suitcases or staying long enough to need a wardrobe. Anyone who wants a bath, a sofa or a coffee in bed. And anyone arriving by car, because there is no parking at the hotel.
Who should book it anyway
Anyone who will be out from breakfast to the last drink. The bed is the part of the room that matters and it is a good one, the rate is low for Manhattan with no nightly fee on top, and the building around the room gives you a rooftop bar, a canteen that never closes and a free gym open all night, with SoHo, Chinatown and Little Italy on foot. Pay the small step to the Premium view, and the 150 sq ft comes with Manhattan in the window.
The catch elsewhere in New York
- The PlazaMidtown
The entry rooms do not face Central Park or Fifth Avenue. The Plaza King and Deluxe rooms look over the inner courtyard or 58th Street, and in January the Carnegie suites, with a partial park view, and the Pulitzer suites, over Fifth Avenue, cost more than $1,000 a night above them.
- The Carlyle, A Rosewood HotelUpper East Side
The entry Superior Room is 360 sq ft (33 m²), faces the courtyard and has a rain shower but no bath, and even in January it costs about $1,300 a night before tax.
- The Fifth Avenue HotelNoMad
The 1907 building holds only suites, from about $2,065 a night in January. Every standard room is in the 2023 tower.
- The Beekman, A Thompson HotelFinancial District
Laissez Faire, the club in the cellar, plays until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays, and The Bar Room serves until 1am, so low floors hear the weekend.
- 1 Hotel Brooklyn BridgeDUMBO, Brooklyn
A $45 nightly amenity fee plus tax is added to every room at check-in, covering the house car, the classes and the pool whether you use them or not.
- The William ValeWilliamsburg, Brooklyn
The entry King with Balcony is sold on neighbourhood views. The Manhattan skyline is promised only in categories with Manhattan View in the name and in the penthouse Vale Garden Residence.
- Nine OrchardLower East Side
The cheapest rooms are small: the Studio Queen is 230 sq ft (21 m²) with little storage, and the Nook is sold below it without a published size.
- Hotel ChelseaChelsea
The Petite Chelsea, the entry room, is about 200 sq ft (19 m²), with a queen bed, a limited view and a place on the lower floors.
- TWA HotelJFK Airport, Queens
It is an airport hotel. Midtown is about 50 minutes away by AirTrain and the E train, so it works as a first or last night, not as a base for the city.
Questions people ask
Good questions about citizenM New York Bowery
What are the downsides of citizenM New York Bowery?
Four things stand between the rooftop photograph and the stay, and three of them are the room. None of them is hidden and none of them is a fee, because nothing is added to the rate each night beyond tax. Between them, they are the reason the rate is what it is. Every room is the same 150 sq ft, and the bed fills most of it One bed per room, and no twins, extra beds, cots or connecting rooms There is no kettle, no room service, and breakfast is extra cloudM is a public bar for those 21 and over, and the terrace is a warm-weather space
Who should not book citizenM New York Bowery?
Two friends who do not want to share a bed, families of four, and anyone travelling with large suitcases or staying long enough to need a wardrobe. Anyone who wants a bath, a sofa or a coffee in bed. And anyone arriving by car, because there is no parking at the hotel.
Our verdict
Book it for the price, the roof and a downtown address you can walk out of, and pay the small step to the Premium view. Treat the room as a well-made bed with a window, and live in the rest of the building.
Last checked: October 2026