Reminds me of Hogwarts
Since I was traveling by myself, my mother made me promise to stay in a hotel and not in a hostel. I agreed with her and thought my safety was more important than to trying to save a few dollars. I started looking on travel websites and scoured for a good deal. I’m super glad that my New York friend Emily suggested a couple of hotels, one of them being the Desmond Tutu Center.
Right in the heart of Chelsea, the Desmond Tutu Center is in a great neighborhood. It’s close by subway stops and also on a main street so it was extremely easy getting a cab. I was surprised how affordable the rates were and how nice the rooms looked. Then I found out that they had AAA discounts. I was sold. While the other hotels cost way more than $200 a night over the July 4th weekend, the Desmond Tutu Center only charged about $180 a night.
Perfect outdoor seating area.
The Desmond Tutu Center is actually home to a seminary too (although the divinity school students were on summer vacation). I totally felt like I was walking into Harry Potter’s Hogwarts or like an East Coast college campus. The building had a beautiful garden and really cute sitting area.
When I checked in, they upgraded my room from a queen size bed to two beds for free. Apparently, each of the 60 hotel rooms are all different. Our room was HUGE and super clean. I also greatly appreciated the central air conditioning and free water, tea and coffee in each room. Wifi was also included too!
What I appreciated the most was the security. When I came back past midnight, I had to ring a doorbell in order to be let into the building. There’s always someone working at the front desk who can easily buzz you in. My mother would have been proud.
More pictures after the page break.
Double beds at the Desmond Tutu Center.
Our room was so big and practically bigger than my friend's studio.
View from our room.
Bathroom was clean and came with all the amenities.
There is no rhyme or reason 
Sounds and looks like a great hotel! A little high on the prices, but just look at your pictures – they are beautiful!
Off course, 200 USD is quit a lot of money for some people.
If the choice is between payin 200 USD for a great hotel or 50 USD for a dormroom, many people still will go for the later.
Hi Hostel New York,
Thanks for your feedback! I’m totally on the same page as you and think that hostels can be a very affordable option and fun place to meet new people. With $150 savings, you can use that money to have a nice meal (or even 3). For this particular trip, safety and convenience were the two biggest factors. My Asian parents worry when I travel alone, which is why I ended up choosing the Desmond Tutu Center. I’ve stayed in hostels before and very open to the idea in the future. Appreciate the time you took to read and comment on my blog!
LOL at “reminds me of Hogwarts.” – Look! I’m reading! 😉
Very honored you’re taking time to read my blog. 😀 If the divinity school students were there, I’m sure it would have elevated the Hogwarts feeling even more!