Straddling the border between Chelsea and Union Square, the Chelsea Inn’s prices are low because many rooms share a bathroom (never more than two rooms to a toilet; you’ll have a shower and sink in your room). It has recently been upgraded, which means gone are the grungy carpets and mismatched grandma’s-house-style furnishings, replaced by sleek contemporary art on the walls, billowy duvets on the beds, shiny wood floors, and exposed brick walls (showing the bones of this 1800’s townhouse). A nice touch: All rooms have small fridges and microwaves. Bad news: street noise, loud plumbing, and a $60 cleaning fee charged per stay (often nearly doubling the cost of a 1-night stay but amortizing to the usual resort fee rate over a week).