What to expect: A 1905 Beaux Arts landmark, The Peninsula New York occupies a coveted Fifth Avenue location in Midtown Manhattan. In the grand foyer, a double staircase crowned by a glittering chandelier sweeps up to a palatial lobby. Just off the lobby are two sitting areas: one with sumptuous silk wall coverings, the other with a trompe d'oeil sky ceiling. Richly renovated throughout, the hotel combines Old World opulence with modern luxuries.

Amenity highlights: The tri-level Peninsula Health Club & Spa (renovated September 2008) features a glass-enclosed rooftop pool with panoramic city views. Poolside dining includes spa-cuisine lunches. A wraparound sunbathing terrace overlooks Fifth Avenue. The spa includes 14 treatment rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and locker rooms with steam rooms, saunas, and marble showers. On the hotel's top floor, Salon de Ning commands panoramic views from both indoors and outside.

Insider tip: The Museum of Modern Art—just two blocks from the hotel—is on many visitors' must-see lists. Guests can bypass the long lines by purchasing a VIP pass at the Peninsula's concierge desk. Private tours of art museums, walking/dining tours of Little Italy and other neighborhoods, and other customized diversions can also be arranged.

A century ago, The Plaza set the standard for luxury. That tradition, infused with a new, contemporary spirit, continues when the hotel reopened, following a $400 million lobby-to-roof renovation. The Oak Room, Oak Bar and Grand Ballroom—all are back and richly restored, to the delight of discerning travelers from around the world.

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.

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.

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.

Just steps off Park Avenue, a discreet entrance on East 50th Street leads to a quiet, efficient reception area. Elevators with Art Deco doors of embossed nickel take guests to their rooms on the 28th through 42nd floors. An elite residential-style retreat, the hotel has hosted every U.S. president since Herbert Hoover (who lived here for 30 years). World leaders, royalty, dignitaries, and Hollywood legends of past and present have chosen the hotel for its blend of luxury and privacy, as well as its desirable Midtown location.

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.

What to expect: The Empire Hotel features a rooftop pool, a redesigned lobby that pays tribute to nearby Lincoln Center, and elegant guestrooms with leather furnishings and luxury linens. The hotel’s location, amenities, and decor make it a convenient and pleasurable choice for patrons of the performing arts. Guests also appreciate the proximity to Central Park, numerous museums, and some of the city's best shopping and dining.

Amenity highlights: The Empire's heated rooftop pool, with floor-to-ceiling windows and retractable roof, boasts expansive views of the Hudson River, Lincoln Center, and Central Park. The lobby, designed in the style of 1960s-era Lincoln Center, features a floor cut from Italian stone and a custom-sculpted metal chandelier suspended from a 30-foot ceiling. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available throughout the hotel.

What to expect: This legendary New York hotel's Villard Mansion has occupied its prime spot across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral since 1882. Guests can enter the hotel’s original Italian Renaissance-style Villard Mansion via an iron-gated courtyard lighted by Florentine lanterns. The lobby showcases sweeping staircases, golden chandeliers, coffered ceilings, bronze doré moldings, murals, ornate fireplaces, and Tiffany stained glass.

Amenity highlights: A 55-story reflective glass tower of guestrooms was added to the hotel in 1981 to create this hotel. The property has a 7,000-square-foot health club overlooking St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and a day spa with a wide range of massages and beauty treatments. The fine-dining restaurant Gilt serves well-reviewed Modern American cuisine in a lavish space with gilded walls and cathedral ceilings.

Insider tip: Many New York visitors attend a show there, but a tour of Radio City Music Hall (three blocks from the hotel) is also a memorable experience. The largest indoor theater in the world, with a marquee a full city block long, this American Modernist marvel has been restored to its original 1932 grandeur. Tour highlights include superb Art Deco interiors, a massive Wurlitzer organ, and even meeting one of the Rockettes.