THE FACTS ABOUT HUDSON

USA New_York

Ian Schrager's Hudson is Manhattan's current 'It' hotel, a 1,000-room former women's hostel that cost $125 million to restructure. Despite its far-west location and lack of signage, the Hudson is easy enough to find: just follow New York's pretty pack. They flock to the Hudson Cafeteria, a massive restaurant with communal tables; they litter the Hudson Bar, where an illuminated glass floor supports tree-log benches; they pose in the hotel's verdant, central 'Park', which is decorated with enormous Philippe Starck watering cans and 30-foot vases. The bedrooms are also Starck-designed, with Makore wood panelling and reed-thin stainless-steel tables. The Hudson manages to bring high style down to low prices, which is a rarity in new-monied Manhattan. WHEN TO GO Autumn, when the leaves of nearby Central Park are at their fall finest and the Lincoln Center is launching yet another spectacular season WHICH ROOM TO BOOK The $95 rooms are box-like, and few and far between. Avoid rooms below the 'de luxe' category, which are almost as small. Instead, take one of the studio rooms: for roughly $100 more you get almost twice the space. Studios start from $350 CONTACT Hudson, 356 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019 (00 1 212 554 6000; fax: 554 6001; www.hudsonhotel.com)