gabriella gershenson

USAToday.com
April 1, 2004

GABRIELLA GERSHENSON

Location, location, location 

Visitors want to choose their temporary abodes based on obligations and interests. Meaning: If you are conducting most of your business in midtown, you probably don't want to stay on Wall Street. And if your tastes gravitate toward the artsy, you may want to grab a hotel somewhere south of 23rd Street, where you start to see the signs of more progressive downtown. Most hotels, no matter which neighborhood, are up to date with business amenities, such as wireless Internet connections and other communications, as well as the more old-school perks, like same-day laundry and a newspaper in the morning.

Neighborhood chic — In an area not known for trendiness, On the Avenue stands out as one of the Upper West Side's chicest, most modern hotels. Each of the 250 rooms at this 16-floor hotel is decorated tastefully and simply, with an emphasis on comfort. Beds are outfitted with down duvets and 310-count Egyptian cotton sheets, and Frette terry cloth robes are on hand for your use. All rooms feature plasma televisions, T1 Internet connections and two phone lines with voice mail. Located close to Lincoln Center and half a block from the Beacon Theater, this is a great location for arts lovers (a pianist even tinkles at the keys every evening in the lobby). If you're a fan of chocolates on your pillow, you're in luck — here, they're Belgian. Prices range from $209 for a standard room to $750 for a penthouse suite. 2178 Broadway; 800-497-6028 or 212-362-1100; www.ontheave-nyc.com.

A new Chelsea hotel — The Four Points Hotel by Sheraton may not offer the rock-and-roll cachet of the Chelsea Hotel, but the 21-story addition to this artsy neighborhood has some attractive qualities of its own. The business-friendly hotel features a business center and meeting facilities; each guest room comes with free high-speed Internet access and dual-line telephones. For those of you with work to do, request a room with a desk and ergonomic chair. And for recreation, just walk out the front door — both the Meatpacking District and Chelsea's cutting-edge art galleries are walking distance from the hotel. Rates range from $196 to $473 per night. 160 West 25th St.; 212-627-1888; www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints.

Hot newcomer — Featuring 187 rooms with nine-foot ceilings, bay windows, lots of leather and high-tech translucent-glass doors, Hotel Gansevoort, with its light-columned entry, has literally become a beacon for the Meatpacking District's hipster set. The variety of rich textures in the hotel lounge and colors, like eel skin, velvet and Hable and Smith upholstery, ooze contemporary luxury. Amenities for the business traveler include complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, a business center, fitness center, and same-day laundry and dry cleaning service. Rooms can be pricey, starting at $375 and exceeding $5,000 per night. 18 Ninth Ave. (at 13th Street); 877-426-7386; www.hotelgansevoort.com.

Suite deal — Once the Plaza 50, this first-class hotel underwent a $12 million renovation and emerged as the sleek Affinia 50, a collection of 74 luxury suites geared toward the business traveler. This midtown hotel is convenient to Rockefeller Center, the Sony building and the countless corporate headquarters that call this high-rise neighborhood home. Each room features high-speed wireless Internet, a TV Web browser, two-line phones with voice mail, a data port for computer, fax and modem hook-up; secretarial services and A/V equipment rental are also available. In addition to utility, with their overstuffed furniture, custom-designed mile-high beds and Aveda grooming products, these spacious units also project an image of plenty (some suites are as big as 950 square feet). Rates range from $199 to $463 for a studio suite. 155 E. 50th St.; 866-246-2203 or 212-751-5710; www.affinia.com/6_7_p50_overview.cfm.

Island living — The rooms at the Maritime in Chelsea, with their near-seaworthy teak built-in furniture and cobalt-blue velvet curtains, take the concept of boutique hotels from hip to ship. Housed in a strange-looking white-tiled building with round porthole-like windows, the recently opened hotel has a nautical theme, which makes sense, given that formerly it was the headquarters of the National Maritime Union. The Maritime offers many of the standard business amenities, including wireless Internet in every room, and was designed also to be a pleasant meeting spot with its vast public spaces, Japanese and Mediterranean restaurants, and new two-level garden. Rooms start at $235. 363 W. 16th St., 212-242-4300; www.themaritimehotel.com.

Best value, uptown — The no-frills Milburn Hotel in the heart of the Upper West Side may not have the streamlined interiors of some of its more design-savvy competitors, but it's a decent tradeoff. What the hotel lacks in trend value it makes up for in space. The Milburn specializes in studio, junior and one-bedroom suites (all with a kitchenette) starting at an unheard of $129, $149 and $169 per night, respectively. This is quite the score, as the Milburn is located in what is arguably the best food-shopping neighborhood in the city — Fairway and Citarella, two of Manhattan's finest supermarkets, are half a block from the hotel, and the legendary gourmet shop Zabar's is just five blocks away. A workspace and free high-speed Internet is available in every room. While the Milburn does not have its own swimming pool, guests have access to a brand new one just one block away. 242 W. 76th St.; 212-362-1006; www.milburnhotel.com.

Best value, downtown — The fact that Off Soho Suites is located in the Lower East Side, the city's hottest downtown neighborhood that borders Soho, Nolita, Chinatown and the East Village, just makes this bargain deal that much sweeter. Sure, you may have to share a kitchen and bathroom, but for rates as low as $89 a night it's a worthy tradeoff. Upgrading to the Deluxe Suite will get you two rooms with a private kitchen and bath for $179 to $209. Each of the 38 suites features two private phones with voice mail, a modem line and satellite television. Wireless high-speed internet access is available at the Off Soho Suites Café. The hotel also can arrange discount door-to-door limousine service and airport pick-up from JFK, Laguardia and Newark Liberty. 11 Rivington St.; 800-OFF-SOHO or 212-979-9808; www.offsoho.com.

Minding your business — The Holiday Inn Wall Street offers T1 access in every room and computerized self-check-in. Located in the heart of the financial center, it's near Soho and Tribeca, where investment bankers and brokers go to play after the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. The hotels moderate rates change depending on the season. 15 Gold St.; 800-465-4329; www.holidayinnwsd.com.

To market — The W in Union Square stands out among the city's other swishy W hotels for its location: The stately Guardian Life Building, built in 1911, is a beaux-arts landmark. The exterior may be old New York, but the David Rockwell-designed interior is every ounce modern, sexy and sleek. Experience such small luxuries as feather beds, down comforters and Aveda products in the bath, as well as high-speed Internet access available for a daily flat rate. The 270-room, 16-suite property must be doing something right — W Union Square just secured a spot on Condé Nast Traveler's 2003 "Top 500 Hotels in the World" list. Rates fluctuate daily depending on occupancy, although prices tend to stay above $300 a night. For a uniquely New York experience, wake up early Wednesday morning to catch a glimpse of famous chefs foraging for ingredients at the adjacent Union Square Green Market. 201 Park Ave. S.; 212-253-9119; www.starwood.com/whotels/search/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=1299.

Smack in the middle of Soho — You'll never forget where you're staying if it's 60 Thompson, the swank hotel named after its Soho address. The exclusive boutique hotel aspires to create a home away from home for an ultra-hip show biz crowd. Guests are pampered with Philosophy bath products, beds swathed in Frette linens, personal safes (for bling bling, of course) and an undeniable air of exclusivity. For conducting business, all 100 guest rooms have been equipped with high-speed Internet access, dual phone lines with conference and speaker capabilities, and a fax machine. The new restaurant, Kittichai, is an attraction for trendy natives, but the hotel's rooftop bar, A60, is for members only. Room prices range from $300 to $3,500 a night. 60 Thompson St.; 877-431-0400; www.60thompson.com.

All work and no play — The use of the phrase "ergonomically inspired" to describe the guest rooms at Le Parker Meridien may be the first sign that this hotel means business. If that doesn't tip you off, other features — sizeable desks, dual phone lines and free high-speed Internet in each room, plus a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. business center equipped with computers, printers, fax machines, copiers, the works — may. If you choose to take a breather, visit the hotel's 15,000-square-foot gym and fitness center. Or just close your laptop, lean back in your Herman Miller Aeron chair and enjoy this midtown hotel's park views. Rates fluctuate, but tend to range from $250 to $650. 118 W. 57th St.; 212-245-5000; parkermeridien.com.

Go incognito — The Mark is an off-the-beaten-track jewel that specializes in service, with twice-daily maid service, same-day valet and hand-laundry service, and complimentary shoe shines and New York Times. Tucked into the Upper East Side, it's a haven that offers afternoon tea and neoclassical-style rooms — complete with Italian marble and Piranesi prints. Many a celebrity has hidden away here for a weekend of anonymity. It's in a quiet neighborhood, and you won't have to compete with busloads of tourists for the concierge's attention. Business amenities include fax machines and high-speed Internet service in every room. Rates start at $310 and can exceed $2,000. 25 E. 77th St.; 800-843-6275; www.mandarinoriental.com/themark.

More like home — Sandwiched between two 1830s townhouse is the Inn at Irving Place in Gramercy Park. There you'll find antiques, a sweeping staircase and a salon where tea, coffee and fresh pastries are served every morning. Each of the 12 rooms has an Edith Wharton look: four-poster bed, work desk, functioning fireplace and hardwood floors — perfect for spending your morning tucked away with a good book. Each room has a dual phone line and wireless Internet access. Rooms range between $185 and $495 per night. 56 Irving Pl.; 800-685-1447; www.innatirving.com.

Room with a new view — The Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle is almost 100% complete and the Mandarin Oriental is open. The luxury hotel is located on the 35th to 54th floors of the north building of the complex, which features a shopping mall, several upscale restaurants and a Whole Foods grocery store. Its 251 rooms (which includes 48 suites) offer floor-to-ceiling views of Central Park, the Hudson River and the city skyline. In-room amenities include flat-panel LCD TVs, high-speed Internet access and three multiline telephones. Baths have glass-enclosed showers, soaking tubs with views and for information fiends, a second LCD TV, too. There's also 7,000 square feet of meeting space with the most current audio/visual equipment and a 14,500-square-foot spa, complete with a fitness center and naturally lit lap pool. Standard rooms start at $625. 80 Columbus Circle; 212-805-8800; www.mandarinoriental.com/newyork.

Day-dreaming views — Housed in a 19th-century brick building on cobblestone streets, many of the 72 rooms at the Best Western Seaport Inn offer majestic views of the Brooklyn Bridge from private terraces and have whirlpool tubs. Within walking distance of Chinatown and the Financial District, the hotel specializes in old-fashioned hospitality, including complimentary breakfast in the parlor and tea and freshly baked cookies every afternoon. Free high-speed Internet access is available, and the business facilities can host a meeting of up to 20 people. Rates range from $185 to $215. 33 Peck Slip; 800-468-3569; www.bestwestern.com/seaportinn.

The Millennium Hotel at the U.N. Plaza has 275 rooms, which start on the 28th floor and offer panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline and East River, not to mention the added cachet of being the home-away-from-home for many foreign diplomats and U.N. envoys. The "Classic" rooms are supposed to feel like warm yet sophisticated apartments. The amenities aren't as tech-forward as some of the newer hotels on the scene, but rest assured, you'll have everything you need, including high-speed Internet access and voice mail. Other business amenities include fax, computer and photocopy services, meeting rooms and full catering services. The view from the health club — its swimming pool appeared in the Ethan Hawke version of Hamlet— is especially remarkable. Rates range from $169 to $420. 1 UN Plaza; 866-866-8086; www.millennium-hotels.com.

Close to the airport — One of the few uptown hotels, the two-star Astor on the Park (Central Park, that is), is just five blocks from Columbia University and even closer to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The 75 rooms, which start at $95, are pleasantly appointed with contemporary décor, one queen or two double beds, and marble baths. The hotel is just a short ride — approximately 15 minutes, traffic permitting — from LaGuardia Airport. Business amenities include two phone lines with data ports in each room. 465 Central Park West at 108th Street; 212-316-2930; www.nychotels.com/astor.html