Las Vegas Marriott

This 278-room hotel is strictly business. The Las Vegas Convention Center is the only nearby attraction (if you consider 3.2 million square feet of meeting space an attraction). No parties or gambling can be found on-site -- for frivolity you'll have to take a seven-minute cab ride to the casino-hotels of the Strip. And the small pool barely qualifies as a swimming hole. But what the Marriott does best is cater to business travelers, with a three-minute walk to the convention site, a 24-hour business center, a well-equipped fitness center and a restaurant that, while no standout, offers healthy entrees -- something frequent hotel diners may appreciate. Most of the hotel's common spaces were also renovated in 2012, so the lobby area, restaurant, and pool were given an update.A better suite option next to the convention center is the Renaissance, which has more spacious rooms. Marriott devotees who don't need to be so close to the convention center might prefer the Marriott Grand Chateau, which is located right behind the Strip's busiest section and offers large apartments with fully equipped kitchens and in-room Jacuzzis.

Located on the wide and lightly traveled Convention Center Drive, this hotel was built to be handy to the Las Vegas Convention Center, which is just a three-minute walk away. What else is around? An excellent Italian restaurant Piero's is on one side, and a decrepit casino-hotel called Greek Isles is on the other. That's about it. The Las Vegas Strip is a 15-minute walk that's bearable only when the sun's gone down. By cab, it takes about seven minutes.The hotel is a $12 cab ride from the McCarran airport. Free parking is available on the property.Most Las Vegas visitors want to explore all of the big properties along the densely packed three-and-a-half mile long stretch of hotel-casinos known as the Strip. Cabs are easy to find at virtually any time of day or night. A generally less expensive option is the Deuce, a double-decker bus that runs up and down the strip 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and costs $3 to ride. There's also a monorail system, which stops at MGM Grand, Bally's/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Hilton, and the Sahara. A single-ride ticket is $5; a one-day pass is $13. If you're traveling along the Strip with at least one other person, a cab is often the least expensive option.

• At 380 square feet, these are tiny suites -- the average standard single room in Vegas is about the same size.
• The suite, called a guest room, comes with a full-size sofa bed in the living room, as well as a coffee table, bureau, a work desk, and a wet bar.
• Some suites have French doors that separate the bedroom from the living room, adding a sense of privacy.
• The suites have a modern, middle-of-the-road aesthetic: red and yellow walls, dark wood laminate, black-and-white landscape photos, and gingham sofas.
• The king-size bed has a down-filled duvet, down pillows, and a pillow-top mattress.
• There are 42-inch flat-screen TVs in each room, both with premium cable like HBO and pay-per-view current movie releases.
• Wi-Fi is available for a fee
• The bathroom has a sink in a separate room from the tub/shower and toilet.
• Free newspaper delivery on weekdays

• 24-hour business center is equipped with PCs, printers, a fax/copy machine.
• Fee for Wi-Fi
• 24-hour fitness center
• Pool and Jacuzzi

This is not a family hotel in any obvious way: The pool is small and lacks a lifeguard, few kid-friendly activities or distractions are provided, and a great majority of the guests are business travelers. But if you're thinking of bringing your kids along on a work trip, this isn't the worst you can do. For one, the hotel's mature vibe and distance from the Strip means you'll keep your kids away from risque shows and rowdy revelers.To give the parents privacy, families should ask for a suite with French doors separating the bedroom from the living room, which are available at no extra cost. The hotel doesn't provide rollaway beds, but the sofas pull out to create a full-size bed. Cribs are free.

• The hotel's on-site restaurant Cafe 325 serves American fare for lunch and dinner, and an extensive breakfast buffet.
• Room service is available daily