The 184-room boutique Andaz hotel opened in 2010 by Hyatt’s boutique Andaz properties – directly across from the New York Public Library, which is meant to appeal to a young hipster crowd.

The Andaz Hotel offers guests a relaxed, upmarket place to stay with an informal lobby area, whose “hosts” mingle with guests and check them in and out with portable tablet computers in high-tech 21st century style.

The Andaz Hotel offers a wide selection of room types but décor is the same in all of them – a rather masculine palette of grey, cream and white with black porcelain and gold Travertine marble bathrooms. Wifi access is free, as are local phone calls and the snacks and soft drinks in the minibar. Large 42-inch flatscreen TVs, iPod docks, air conditioning, robes, safes, hairdryers and 24-hour room service are all available as standard.

This modern-minimalist hotel has a street-level eatery on the ground floor known as The Shop. It is open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner in the week, and brunch and dinner only at the weekend. An open kitchen dishes up tasty New York treats such as bagels, pancakes, egg cream sodas, hand cut pastrami and daily specials. There is also a retail area selling cookery books and novels, jars of pickles and chutneys, and coffee and muffins to go.

A speakeasy-style bar in the basement (open 5pm-12am Monday to Friday and 6pm-1am Saturday) serves food, cocktails and wine, and has slate floors and brick walls. I didn’t get a chance to visit during the evening but I imagine it would attract a rather hip crowd at the Andaz Hotel.