Carlton Arms Hotel

Set in a historic building just a few blocks north of the swanky Gramercy neighborhood, the two-star Carlton Arms Hotel is a riot of art and playful decor, offering 54 rooms (with and without private bath) that exude "backpacker chic".

Rooms

The Carlton Arms offers 54 guest rooms, each uniquely decorated by a different artist (many of whom have stayed at the hotel). The themes vary wildly—one room we saw was a primate playground, with all array of chimps, monkeys and baboons playing on the walls. Other rooms may be painted with quirky caricatures or crisscrossing construction tape. Wherever you end up, the results are striking.

The artwork is the focal point here. Furnishings are of the mix-and-match variety, some looking as though they’ve been passed around for awhile and others like they were recently assembled from Ikea.

Rooms are simply equipped and sans the usual hotel amenities. They have air conditioning and free Wi-Fi, but no television or phone. We liked the tiny old-fashioned corner sinks and other inventive contributions courtesy of artist decorators (we’re lookin’ at you, cactus lamp).

Note: Guests are not able to request a specific room in advance, but generally get to choose between a couple of options when checking in. The friendly manager also told us that many guests will change rooms mid-stay in order to experience another theme. Rooms that look out on the street are bright (but may pick up noise), while inside rooms will likely be quieter, but a bit darker.

Bathrooms

Twenty rooms at the Carlton Arms have private facilities, and the others share bathrooms. Like the rooms, most of the bathrooms are done up in style — the private bathroom in the primate room had ink drawings that looked like a caveman’s depiction of gorillas.

Most of the bathrooms are dated, but all are quite clean and many of the shared facilities are decorated as well. One bathroom is extraordinary, with colorful tiled floors and almost psychedelic walls of mosaic, including shards of mirror.

Small soaps, towels and plastic cups are the only bathroom amenities provided.

Hotel

A worn awning and bright red door announce the oddly named guesthouse. On our visit, we walked right by without seeing any evidence of the place at first, and once we entered we excitedly felt as though we’d just fallen through Alice’s rabbit hole. A Buddha statue and psychedelic mural greet guests, and the funky reception—done up with an old-school water fountain, antique television and all manner of tchotchkes—is one flight up.

The building that houses the Carlton Arms is more than a century old and has almost always been a hotel (of one sort or another). It provided lodging for traveling farmers and businessmen before moving on to stints as Prohibition-era speakeasy, high-end hotel and then single-room occupancy (SRO) for neighborhood miscreants.

By the early ‘80s, when Ed Ryan took over, the place had fallen into grave disrepair, but as the welfare recipients moved out, the staff began sprucing the place up, welcoming young budget travelers with low rates and a fresh coat of paint. The Carlton Arms quickly became a haven for starving artists, who began to help “decorate” the place.

Today, almost every surface has an artist’s touch, with motifs ranging from ancient Egypt to a space odyssey. Even the notorious British street artist Banksy has left his mark. The hotel is vibrant, to say the least. It’s also youthful, fun and a thrillingly irreverent. Clientele, as a result, tends toward the youthful and bohemian, mostly of the backpacker persuasion.

There is a phone in the lobby where guests can make local calls or receive messages. In addition to free Wi-Fi throughout, the Carlton Arms offers a free Internet station. The hotel also offers a 10 percent discount for weekly rates, making longer stays an especially good deal. Note: There is no elevator.

Location

The Carlton Arms is located right next to Baruch College, which adds some youth to this otherwise somewhat nondescript area. Thanks to the college, there are also several cheap, quick (if rather charmless) eateries in the vicinity, and Third Avenue is home to a stable of pubs and dive bars.

Madison Square Park is located a few short blocks from the hotel. The popular hub is surrounded by stately architecture, including the iconic the Flatiron Building, and home to the original Shake Shack, a wildly popular burger stand. The Empire State Building punctuates the sky just to the north, and across the street from the park Mario Batali’s Italian food emporium, Eataly, is always bustling.

Gramercy Park (private and quiet) and Union Square (public and lively) are both within easy walking distance to the south of the hotel. Busy Herald Square and Korea Town, with its yummy cheap eats and quirky karaoke lounges, are a short jaunt to the northeast.

Transportation

Subways: The 23rd and 28th Street stations, serviced by the local 6 line, are the both about four to five blocks from the property. The N/R local trains are a few blocks farther, at the southwest corner of Madison Square Park (23rd Street and Fifth Avenue).

JFK: Take the Air Train to Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue Station and transfer to a Manhattan-bound E train to Lexington Avenue-53rd Street Station. Transfer to a downtown 6 train to 23rd Street.

LaGuardia: From LaGuardia, catch an airport bus service to Grand Central Station and then pick up the downtown 6 train to 23rd Street.

Newark: Take the Air Train to the NJ Transit station, and then any NJ Transit train into New York Penn Station. From here a cab directly to the hotel is most convenient because the subway requires two transfers.

Read more about airport transportation in New York.