I tried for months to get a room at Axel Berlin for Easter, but the site never had availability. I've heard from a local that it was sold. It's well located but there is an abundance of more affordable hotels and gay-owned bed-and-breakfasts in the same area.

New York is a different story, as I would hesitate to recommend any lodging one might consider affordable. Almost any decent hotel can succeed in Manhattan, and there isn't anything quite like Axel now. A swank bar, restaurant, and other public spaces could make it a destination for locals too.