Chinatown Gets Even More Touristy

It's budget chic in Chinatown!

Developer Derek Law will build a 12-story, 43-room "boutique-style hotel" on Allen Street, between Canal and Division streets, with plans to welcome guests in 2010.

Mr. Law, who submitted the permit to the Buildings Department today, has built one another hotel, a Howard Johnson in Flushing, Queens.

"We are going to emphasize the décor of the rooms and our guest service," said Mr. Law, of the yet-unnamed Chinatown inn.

Mr. Law said that high-end service won't come with a Penninsula-size price tag: "It will be like economy or mid-market."

The exact rates have yet to be determined, because, as Mr. Law put it, "Market conditions change from day to day."

Of course, Mr. Law is not the first hotelier to venture into budget-chic terrirory. As The Observer's Chris Shott reported last March, developer Hank Freid is also targeting the same sort of travelers -- the stylish, yet budget-conscious set.