Sunfinder Vacations

What to expect: The Mandarin Oriental occupies floors 35-54 of the Time Warner Center’s north high-rise at Columbus Circle, where Midtown, Central Park, and Upper Manhattan converge. A glass ceiling sculpture created by Dale Chihuly, in partnership with Waterford Crystal, dominates an elliptical lobby. Express elevators ascend to the 35th floor, where the “sky lobby” provides expansive views of the park and city.

Amenity highlights: The two-level spa practices the Time Ritual concept, where guests book customized experiences in blocks of time rather than by treatment. In addition to seven treatment rooms, the spa offers “experience” showers infused with soothing fragrances, a steam room, Vitality Pools, a tea lounge, and men’s and women’s relaxation lounges. The private VIP Spa Suite has two treatment beds.

Wireless Internet access is provided hotel-wide (surcharge).

Insider tip: Guests can catch a rising star at Lincoln Center, three blocks away, when the Juilliard School presents hundreds of student performances at little or no cost. Tickets are required for the larger events and are available at the Lincoln Center box office. Even sold-out shows often have last-minute seats available; standby lines form one hour before concert time.

Both business and leisure travelers appreciate the Hilton New York's 2006 completion of its $148 million redesign as well as its midtown location, which allows many guests to walk to Broadway theaters, Times Square, and Fifth Avenue shopping.

Dating from the 1920s, an updated Grand Hyatt New York includes a vast marble lobby, gold columns, and mirrored ceiling. A waterfall cascades from the lobby's upper level to a marble fountain in the lower.

A stone-like, mirror-lined hall with a three-story, painted and vaulted ceiling leading to an airy atrium heralds the uncluttered style offered by Le Parker Meridien New York. Cherrywood paneling warms the reception area, which includes cappuccino-colored, plush-fabric seats with chrome accents. Heels click on a red-and-tan marble floor.

Host to generations of royalty, US presidents, heads of states, socialites, and celebrities, The Waldorf Astoria has been one of the world's most well-known hotels for more than a century. Some 50 languages are spoken at the concierge desk. The main lobby's expanse of mahogany, marble, and crystal exemplifies the hotel's Art Deco grandeur.

The smoke-free Sheraton New York Hotel And Towers located in Midtown Manhattan is a major conference hotel and a destination for international travelers seeking proximity to theaters.

This 1930s landmark has been transformed into an intimate hotel with a residential feel, with French limestone walls, inlaid onyx floors, antique chandeliers, and a notable art collection. Attentive Ritz service and the prime location attract sophisticated business and leisure travelers.

A smoke-free hotel, Westin New York Times Square opened in 2002 as an instant landmark. It consists of a 45-story, glass tower of bronze, aqua, and purple split by an arc, and an earthtoned, 16-story section. After dark, the arc is lighted and projects a beam into the Manhattan sky.

What to expect: This Midtown hotel occupies the former Chemists' Club, a 1903 Beaux Arts building, now fully restored. The lobby, by noted New York designer Jeffrey Beers, incorporates original architectural elements, including a dramatic staircase leading to second-floor meeting rooms. Lighting is soft and contemporary, and the color palette incorporates dove-grey, cobalt-blue, and copper. Velvety sofas and chairs provide plenty of room for relaxing.

Amenity highlights: The hotel's Benjamin Steak House showcases USDA Prime beef, personally selected by the chef and aged on the premises. The decor is equally impressive: A high, coffered ceiling; a gorgeous working fireplace; rich woodwork; sumptuous leather seating; and a mezzanine overlooking the main dining room.

Complimentary wireless Internet access is available throughout the Dylan Hotel.

Insider tip: The Dylan stands along a stretch of East 41st Street known as Library Way. The New York Public Library, with its famous marble lions guarding the entrance, is one block from the hotel and well worth a visit. The third floor features a magnificently appointed reading room and a variety of intriguing artifacts, including a Gutenberg Bible and a tiny copper globe from the early 1500s. The library also offers free tours twice daily, Tuesday through Saturday.

The smoke-free Excelsior Hotel features a French-country motif that is exemplified by a marble lobby with dark-wood paneling, formal window treatments, gilt-edged sofas, and crystal chandeliers.

From its long marble entrance hallway, the Hilton Times Square ushers guests up to its airy 21st-floor lobby, which has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking 42nd Street.

The impressive lobby stretches from 44th Street to 45th. High ceilings, paneled walls, and huge murals create a setting as dramatic as Broadway. Corporate clients predominate, but theater buffs and others here to see the sights also sign the register.

The Marriott Marquis NYC, a colossal structure, encapsulates the glitzy energy and sheer scale of Times Square.

Novotel New York - Times Square offers a front-and-center location in the Broadway Theater District, right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Dozens of major corporate headquarters are within a five-block radius. An elevator in the security-controlled street entrance ushers guests into the spacious seventh-floor lobby. Gleaming marble floors, high ceilings, and brightly colored artwork depicting New York’s famed yellow taxis provide a stylish welcome to guests from all over the world.

The Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square is surrounded by theaters, lights, and the razzle-dazzle of Times Square. Custom-designed public spaces, renovated December 2007, offer plush handcrafted furnishings, hand-blown chandeliers, copper sheathing on walls, limestone flooring, and one-of-a-kind artwork. Business travelers appreciate the hotel's proximity to many Midtown companies, including Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers, both about a block away. Weekends, the hotel fills with families and other vacationers seeking quiet accommodations in the midst of the action.

The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park provides a tranquil ambience featuring a collection of original works by 100 New York artists. A lobby with expansive displays of gray granite and light wood exemplifies the hotel's contemporary Art Deco styling.

A hotel since the 1920s, the Shelburne was redone in 1999. A gracious lobby with Oriental carpets, teardrop chandeliers, and a fireplace sets the scene for a hotel with old-world ambience and a friendly staff. The hotel attracts guests from the worlds of fashion, banking, and finance; visitors to the U.N.; and leisure travelers. Valet parking and the services of a concierge are among the amenities.

Although it offers 665 guestrooms, this Sheraton has an intimate ambience. It is a destination for international travelers seeking proximity to theaters and for guests attending conferences at a partner hotel, the 1,750-room Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers across Seventh Avenue.

Sofitel New York attracts international and domestic business travelers as well as leisure travelers seeking ready access to West 44th Street restaurants, Broadway theaters, museums, and Fifth Avenue shopping.

A sleek Art Deco lobby done in blonde woods and period lighting sets the stage for this stylish hotel with many conveniences. It is a favorite stop for business travelers and attracts many international visitors, as well. Facilities include the Park Avenue Executive Center with 7,500 square feet of meeting space, and a health club/spa offering a variety of treatments and the latest exercise equipment.

A member of the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, The Mark occupies a 1926 Art Deco building on the Upper East Side where Madison Avenue meets East 77th Street. The building's distinctive tower has a peaked copper top, tinted by time to a soft green patina. Lacy gingko trees and flower boxes flank the main hotel entryways. The hotel is on a quiet, leafy street lined with handsome Gilded Age townhouses and mansions, and the intimate marble lobby reflects that residential ambience. Guests from around the world include executives who appreciate the Upper East Side location and celebrities seeking discretion and privacy.

When it opened in 1998, W New York set a new standard for style. Decor features natural materials, organic shapes, plants, and artwork inspired by the elements of earth, wind, fire, and water. This city oasis attracts guests from the worlds of fashion, art, music, and entertainment, as well as visitors who wish to hobnob with the exclusive clientele.

Now protected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Warwick New York Hotel opened in 1926 with apartments for visiting Hollywood and theatrical friends of William Randolph Hearst and his paramour, Marion Davis. Davis had a floor to herself. A gallery off the marble/crystal-chandelier lobby displays photos of past guests such as Cary Grant, Elvis Presley, Audrey Hepburn, and the Beatles.