The Jewel at Rockefeller Center

The name doesn’t lie: Many of the rooms here look right into the heart of the Rockefeller Center complex or at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, making this book-worthy just for the views alone. Thankfully, management doesn’t seem to recognize what a, well, jewel it has, and so has furnished the place with muddy-colored striped coverlets and drapes that scream 1992. The overly firm mattresses also are due for replacement. But it’s those missteps that keep the prices low, so hallelujah! One note: the rooms the hotel calls single/small rooms are bigger than what other properties are selling as doubles. Don’t hesitate to book them if you’re a twosome.