I stayed at the Moxy Chelsea and was impressed by its central location, co-working spaces, and excellent views

There are two small unassuming counters backed by neon lights for check-in and check-out. It's efficient, but cramped as the elevator is right behind the counters and there are always guests walking in and out.

My room wasn't ready when I arrived a little after 3 p.m. (an hour before check-in), so I got a chance to tour the space with a hotel rep.

Staying at the Moxy Chelsea feels kind of like adult glamping with rustic design and compact, but elevated quarters. The decor takes elements from the surrounding Flower District, and rooms are small and streamlined, almost forcing you to go to the hotels' lounges and mingle.

In the end, what you're paying for isn't the room itself but the hotel's public spaces, great location, and unbeatable views from The Fleur Room.

Who stays here: Travelers who don't plan to be in their rooms often.

We like: The general botanical-inspired vibes.

We love (don't miss this feature!): The views from the room and especially The Fleur Room.

We think you should know: Standard King and Double rooms are located on floors one through 20. Anything above is considered a City View Room and will cost extra. Depending on how much you care about views, you might want to save some cash to put towards dining. In October, a standard King room starts at $169, and one with a view of the city starts at $189.

We'd do this differently next time: Stay in a standard room to see how it compares to one with views of the city.

The Moxy Chelsea is considered a four-star hotel, and reviews on TripAdvisor and Booking.com seem to agree.

On TripAdvisor, the hotel gets a 4.5 out of 5 stars and more than 300 reviews, and on Booking.com, an 8.7 out of 10. The general consensus is that the rooms are small, but the views, friendly staff, and central location make up for it.

There are no discounts at the restaurants or bars as they're managed separately from the hotel. But even if there were, I'd still suggest venturing outside for more options. Walk a few minutes in any direction and you'll find incredible pizza, tacos, sushi, ramen, and coffee and bagels.

There's a Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company less than 10 minutes away for a classic New York fix, or walk a few more minutes to Koreatown for Korean comfort food. Chelsea Market is about 20 minutes away, but a great spot to try different dishes at once.

There's a small-but-efficient gym in the basement, business room with printers, a vending machine for oft-forgotten items like charging cables and Advil, free bikes with no time limits, bocce ball inside Feroce Pizza & Bocce Bar on the second floor, and several communal lounges.

According to the hotel's rep, the communal spaces double as co-working spots for a lot of the guests, making the hotel great for business travelers. This is helpful, considering the lack of workspace in guestrooms.

There's a lot of variety among the different spots, but I loved the well-lit area behind the second-floor bar overlooking the Flower District that made digging myself out of 800 emails more pleasant.

The Moxy Chelsea houses two Italian restaurants, a snack bar and lounge, a café, and what I considered the highlight — The Fleur Room, which is a rooftop bar that turns into a club at night.

I redeemed my complimentary glass of Prosecco there and enjoyed its lush vibes and whimsical floral arrangements from Putnam & Putnam. The floor-to-ceiling windows provided even better views of the city.

The lava stone sink is long and slim, so washing your face either means you'll risk hitting your head against the shelf right above the sink, or risk flooding the floor as water runs off your elbows. Neither seems fun so I'd suggest washing your face in the shower instead or lay a towel on the floor around you.

The bathroom is split into three parts — a standup rainfall shower with good pressure with amenities in refillable plastic containers against the wall, a separate toilet next door, and a long sink outside the two.

With a neutral color palette featuring light wood, leather and bungee cord accents, dark industrial fixtures, and wooden pegs lining the walls, the room felt like a stripped-down, no-frills version of glamping.

The room was a decent size by New York City standards but lacked many things I expected in a hotel room. There was no closet, mini-fridge, desk, or chair. Instead, I had rows of wooden hooks lining the wall for clothes and bags, a foldable circular table, and a luggage rack.

The lack of workspace made answering emails a bit uncomfortable in the room, and the hooks felt obtrusive once I hung my jacket and bag. I'd suggest hanging large bags in the far corner of the room unless you want to keep contorting your body to walk around them. The lack of closet space and surfaces felt unnatural but made sense in terms of streamlining the room. Space is a commodity in this city.

The King-sized bed was plush yet firm, and I slept well and didn't hear the city noise at all. The lamps flanking the bed were essentially exposed bulbs encased in steel wires, and secured via bungee cord for major adult camp vibes. It flowed with the Moxy Chelsea's botanical vibe, though I think a few plants, even if fake, would've helped make the room less industrial.

Once my room was ready, I found myself on the 25th floor in a King Room with great views of Manhattan. Technically, it was a great view of skyscrapers, but at least you're not accidentally peeping on neighbors directly in front of your window — now that's a true New York luxury.

Despite the Moxy Chelsea being fully booked since opening in February 2019, all the fixtures still looked really new, and the room was clean and well-kept.

Before putting any bags down, I did the obligatory New York City bed bug check. This is always a gamble no matter how new or how nice a hotel is, but to my relief, there were none.

If walking through the Flower District wasn't a pleasant enough intro to the Moxy Chelsea, passing through the lovely Putnam & Putnam flower shop holding court in the hotel entrance certainly will be.

As I entered the lobby to check-in, I walked past loose stems of ranunculus, roses, and alstroemerias ready to be hand-tied into bouquets, alongside bars of Compartes chocolate and expensive coffee table magazines.

Unfortunately, guests don't receive any discounts on purchases.