Let's Go
July, 2010
15 Top Cool Hotels for Doing Business
April White
15 Aria, Las Vegas
Nearly seven acres (!) of meeting rooms and thousands of spacious, light-filled guest rooms have made contemporary Aria (right) in the new CityCenter (above) a top choice for business travelers. Or could it be the three-plus acres of casino games and the chance to use the expense account at Japanese restaurant Shaboo? arialasvegas.com
14 W, Washington, D.C.
Just a block from the White House, this hotel seems out of place amid the sedate marble of D.C. — which is exactly why the rooftop POV bar is the place to be for locals and business travelers alike. whotels.com
13 Magnolia Hotel, Houston
From the rooftop pool of this elegant, centrally located hotel, you just might see corporate headquarters, where you should be sitting in a meeting. magnoliahotelhouston.com
12 Hilton Manhattan East, New York City
It doesn’t get more central than Grand Central, just a few steps from the new Hilton Manhattan East, a classic New York hotel building that Hilton has transformed into a business traveler’s haven. manhattaneast.hilton.com
11 Fairmont, Pittsburgh
The months-old Fairmont Hotel is close to pretty much everything for work (wired conference spaces) and play (the city’s famed museums or some baseball at nearby PNC Park). fairmont.com
10 InterContinental San Francisco
It’s a bit unfair to offer both business-friendly hotel rooms and abundant hi-tech meeting spaces with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city’s happening SoMa neighborhood. Get back to work! intercontinentalsanfrancisco.com
9 JW Marriott, Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Convention Center is right there. (That’s why you’re here, right?) The contemporary JW Marriott is also an anchor of the immense L.A. Live entertainment complex — think sports, music, dancing, dining — and downtown L.A.’s revitalization. lalivemarriott.com
8 The James, Chicago
It’s all about the “Perks” at the James. Stay 25 nights a year and receive exclusive upgrades, discounts, and complimentary clothes pressing. If you travel a little less often than that, the hotel’s soothing rooms are a perk in themselves. jameshotels.com
7 Nylo, Dallas
This hotel’s free shuttle will take you to any of the numerous office parks in a five-mile radius of this suburban Dallas hotel and back to where you’d rather be: the hotel’s ultra-modern loft-style rooms and always-popular pool decks. nylohotels.com
6 Sheraton Phoenix Downtown
Meeting planners love the spacious conference space and hi-tech planning tools. Meeting goers love the minutes-from-the-airport location and happy hour at the District Wine Bar. sheratonphoenixdowntown.com
5 Andaz Wall Street, New York City
This cool new boutique hotel used to be a bank — and you’ll still find investment types here for the first-rate location, wired and well-designed rooms, and free minibar snacks. andaz.com
4 XV Beacon Hotel, Boston
It’s the little details at this little hotel — a direct phone number for your room, overnight shoeshine service, a well-connected concierge staff — that make every business traveler feel like an in-the-know CEO. xvbeacon.com
3 Hotel Palomar, Philadelphia
Designed for the workday (6,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and a close-to-everything location) and the end of the workday (complimentary wine and the beautiful people who flock to happy hour in the sleek lobby). hotelpalomar-philadelphia.com
2 Aloft Charlotte Uptown
Work first, then consider where to relax: in Aloft’s place-to-be lobby bar, poolside, or in your comfy platform bed. There’s free Wi-Fi everywhere. Evenings are covered as well: As part of the lively EpiCentre complex, the hotel is in the heart of Charlotte’s nightlife mecca. aloftcharlotteuptown.com
1 Hotel 1000, Seattle
Hi-tech everything is the hook at this popular business traveler destination. You’ll get down to work — with that high-speed Internet connection and 40-inch LCD TV/computer screen — right after you order breakfast on the touch-screen phone, play virtual golf, and test the minibar technology that lets housekeeping know when you’re out of beer. hotel1000seattle.com
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