What Kind of Hotel Will $10 a Night Buy You in New York?
Given that New York is the priciest city in America, it's not surprising that a night in the Big Apple will leave you digging deep. But if you don't want to pay the $281 that an average hotel room will cost you for a night, there's another option: In Chinatown's Sun Bright Hotel, you can have a room for just $10 per night.
This photo of Sun Bright Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Admittedly, $10 doesn't buy a lot. For a sawbuck, you get a tiny, 35-square-foot space, bounded by chicken wire. As the New York Post recently reported, that's less than half the size of a solitary confinement cell in a New York prison. For that matter, the noise, smells, and potential for violence also make it a troublesome choice for tourists. Then again, New York is the city that never sleeps....
Even outside the rooms, the accommodations at the Sun Bright leave a lot to be desired. The hotel is six stories tall, but doesn't have a working elevator, which means that getting to your room may be a bit of a struggle. Then again, since it also doesn't have a gym, the six flights may be a good option for anybody hoping to get a workout. Also, the bathrooms are shared, which means that the 100 men renting space in the semi-private cells share a bathroom with two shower stalls and four toilets.
The Sun Bright is one of a few super-cheap hotels still in business in New York. For travelers interested in a little living history, the Bowery's White House hotel is the last of that area's once-multitudinous flophouses. And, with prices ranging from $30 to $73 per night per room, it remains a cheap deal. Then again, given the hotel's problems with mold and roaches, it's hard to classify it as a bargain.
On second thought, maybe it's smarter to just go couch surfing with Airbnb!
This photo of Sun Bright Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Bruce Watson is a senior features writer for DailyFinance. You can reach him by e-mail at bruce.watson@teamaol.com, or follow him on Twitter at @bruce1971.
