When I first moved here, visiting friends and relatives didn’t have much of a choice in digs. Either pay a stunningly high rate at the Downtown Marriott, find a room at one of the few local B&B’s (many without a private bathroom) or head for the couch. But thanks to a new crop of hotels in the neighborhood, the monopoly has finally been broken. First we saw the opening of the Nu Hotel at Smith St. and Atlantic Ave., which apart from it’s key views of the Brooklyn Detention Center, has brought a hip slant to the scene. Then the Brooklyn Sheraton opened in the MetroTech Center on Duffield Street, offering amenities like a rooftop lounge and swimming pool with a retractable roof. Now we hear wind of two new hotel projects in Downtown Brooklyn, brought to us by V3 Hotels. The first is located at 231 Duffield Street and will be called, simply, 718 (yes, like the area code)–boasting 19 Stories, 130 guest rooms, rooftop sundeck, cardio room and a lounge space. The second, at 237 Duffield Street, will be branded as an InterContinental Hotel Indigo and consists of 182 hotel rooms, two indoor and outdoor bar & lounge spaces, and a main entrance that will serve as a fully appointed art gallery. Though the website says only that they will open sometime this year, we hear November is the month to look forward to.