If you're looking for a hotel room priced under $200 in Manhattan, maybe what you're looking for isn't a room. Maybe it's a pod, a cabin or a capsule.

Everyone's definition of affordable is different, as is everyone's concept of what's an acceptable hotel room. See if any of these work for you:

Pod Hotel (230 E. 51st St.; 1-800-742-5945; thepodhotel.com). Here's your best bet if you're dying to stay on New York's East Side but don't have much money. Small but contemporary rooms are designed to have the look and feel of a railroad sleeper car. The least expensive room, called the Single Pod, lacks a private bathroom though the communal bathrooms are cool. It includes a twin bed, small desk, small flat-screen TV, iPod dock and free Wi-Fi for $149. Want a double bed and your own bathroom? Those start at $179.

Jane Hotel (113 Jane St.; 1-212-924-6700; thejanenyc.com). Can you handle a communal bathroom in order to stay in one of the city's hippest neighborhoods? If so, the Jane is an amazing deal. An updated 1912 building in the Far West Village, near the hip Meatpacking District, the Jane also carries the train theme, but this time, it's a vintage train room. A Standard Cabin costs $99 and includes a single bed, flat-screen TV, DVD player, iPod dock, free Wi-Fi and safe. The Jane does have rooms with private baths, but those, called Captain's Cabins, run $255.

Yotel (570 10th Av.; 1-646-449-7700; yotel.com). This is probably the most talked-about new New York hotel. The concept is supposed to blend the Japanese capsule-hotel style with the feel of a first-class airline cabin. (Until now, all Yotel locations had been near European international airports.) Introductory rates start at $149 but undoubtedly won't last. For that price, you get a sleek, Premium Cabin with a queen bed, TV, free Wi-Fi and breakfast, and a little bathroom. The hotel includes a Frank Gehry-designed theater and a club lounge. Its Hell's Kitchen location is a quick walk to theaters.

Z Hotel (11-01 43rd Av., Long Island City; 1-877-256-5556; zhotelny.com). Starting at $189, this is going to be your high end of affordable, and it's also in Long Island City, Queens, across the East River from Manhattan. But it's a new luxury hotel in which every room has a view of the skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows. Your room will have a flat-screen TV, iPod dock, fridge, safe, robes, free Wi-Fi and full, non-dinky bathroom.

These older properties are also affordables:

Belleclaire (250 W. 77th St. at Broadway; 1-877-468-6835; hotelbelleclaire.com). This Upper West Side hotel has been renovated; there's a summer special starting at $175 for a room with private bath (shower; no tub at this rate), iPod dock, flat screen, fridge, air conditioning and free Wi-Fi.

Chelsea Inn (46 W. 17th St.; 1-800-640-6469, chelseainn.com). This European-style hotel in Chelsea is a great option for those who don't mind climbing stairs, with rooms starting at $129 for a shared bath and $179 for a private bath. You'll have a TV, fridge, sink, free Wi-Fi and air conditioning, as well as a free breakfast.

DaVinci Hotel (244 W. 56th St.; 1-212-489-4100; davincihotel.com). Rooms at this Midtown Hotel just east of the Theater District start at $159. Your room has TV, a fridge and air conditioning in summer, along with a private bath.

East Village Bed & Coffee (110 Avenue C, 1-917-816-0071, bedandcoffee.com). It's a Lower Manhattan B&B without the breakfast; rates start at $120. Rooms have air conditioning and CD players. You'll share a bathroom and climb stairs, but it's a fun atmosphere.