Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a weeklong trip, it’s important to choose a hotel that will make your stay comfortable and memorable. The best hotels are located near the city’s most famous attractions and are convenient to public transportation and local amenities. They also provide great amenities and services, such as complimentary breakfast and WiFi.
Finding the best hotel isn’t easy, but if you know where to look, there are plenty of options that will be perfect for your stay. The best way to find a hotel that’s right for you is to check out reviews. These sites are where most people go to find information about accommodations and services in their area.
Google’s Hotel Finder and TripAdvisor are two of the most popular hotel review sites, but they both have their issues. One of the biggest is that TripAdvisor allows anyone to write a review without a verified stay. This is an issue for hoteliers because it can give their competitors a boost and lower their ratings.
Other websites that are worth a look include Booking.com and Expedia, but you’ll have to pay a fee for these. These sites are great for searching for cheap flights and car rentals, but they don’t always have the best hotel prices.
Star Ratings
A star rating system is a good indicator of a hotel’s quality, but there are several different methods for determining the star level of a property. Some sites use third-party data, while others rely on professional inspectors to evaluate a property.
Four- and five-star hotels must pass a rigorous screening. During an inspection, inspectors arrive unannounced, asking to see several rooms and to tour the property. They look for six key criteria, including guest room decor, ambiance and amenities.
Insider’s Select
Consumers submit reviews through a template, and Insider’s Select distills them down to the top 1 percent of the properties (about 800). The site awards four- and five-star ratings only to places that meet its criteria.
HTI
Hotel Trust International assesses hotel quality based on an evaluation process that includes surprise visits, anonymous service assessments and guestroom inspections. A reviewer’s opinion is backed by an array of criteria, including 70 “dimensions,” which examine a hotel’s location, level of service, facilities and other factors.
In addition to the diamond ratings, HTI publishes a travel guide and offers travel deals. It also highlights new or renovated hotels.
The Crosby
Founder Kit Kemp brings a dash of London cool to NY’s SoHo, with bold fabrics and dramatic art installations in the eclectic rooms. Splashes of colour and Miller Harris products create an artsy ambiance that makes the Crosby stand out from the crowd.
A palatial 5-star hotel with impeccable rooms and suites. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the Hudson River, Manhattan or Central Park. Asian-inspired accents and high-end audio & entertainment systems add luxury to the room’s feel.
The Ritz-Carlton, New York City
Located in Midtown Manhattan, this gorgeous five-star hotel has spacious, impeccably-appointed rooms and suites with floor-to-ceiling windows. Guests can enjoy a range of amenities, from a grand piano and bower of African acacia trees in the lobby to a Rolls-Royce house car and high-end audio & entertainment systems.
