The Chelsea Star Hotel is located just off 8th Avenue at W. 30th St., less than a five-minute walk from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. That fact alone makes it a good place to stay for many travelers.

But the Chelsea Star is not a property that would appeal to everyone. Our room on the fourth floor was accessible only via four steep staircases. The room furnishings included plastic lawn chairs and an unfinished plywood countertop in the kitchenette.

None of this bothered us. You might think differently.

Our suite ($289 USD plus tax/night, $329 on weekends) could sleep up to six people. It had three queen-sized beds and a rollaway in the closet. Despite the central location, traffic noise at night was minimal.

The room had been recently painted and refloored. The hardwood floors and everything else in the room had been cleaned thoroughly.

For large travel parties, the odds of locating in one Manhattan room usually are not good. So what appears at first glance to be pricy is actually a very good value.

But the Chelsea Star also has other rooms with less space and less privacy at lower rates. For example, their dormitory-style rooms start at $30/night. Their single rooms start at $79/night on weekdays. Double, triple and quad rooms run from $99-$189/night. Note that taxes and weekend premiums are not included.

The clientele is young and international. The service is friendly and personal.

The Chelsea Star has been discovered by some of the budget guidebooks, and it enjoys a good "word-of-mouth" image, too.

And despite the no-frills approach, it has some surprising features. Some rooms have been decorated by artist Rob Graf, who has created specialty rooms featuring themes ranging from Salvador Dali to Saturday Night Fever. That's very unusual for a budget hotel.

The owners recently bought and renovated an adjacent apartment building, but this will never be mistaken for a place where rooms are available in abundance. As with any hotel of this type, the "no vacancy" sign burns with great regularity.

There are plenty of very small budget hotels such as the Chelsea Star. If you choose this option, making reservations as early as possible is crucial to your strategy.

Perhaps you have a bit more money to spend and you'd like some extras not found in a budget setting. Click "next" for an example of a larger hotel that still offers clean and safe rooms below that $299 average price.

Please note: As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodation for the purpose of reviewing these services. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.

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