Shoreham

Located just a half-block from Fifth Avenue designer shops, this 177-room boutique hotel appeals to the fashion-forward crowd. The lobby has low, backlit ceilings and white walls with flat-screen TVs featuring nature scenes. Mirrored columns, stainless-steel surfaces, gray marble tile, black-and-white portraits, and lime-green love seats complete the look.

There are trendier hotels, to be sure, but most of them are downtown. For travelers who want to be close to the Theater District, midtown offices, and Fifth Avenue shopping, the Shoreham is a fine option, especially for those willing to pay a little extra for an upgrade (hello, massage chair). 

Sharing a stretch of West 55th Street with such upscale hotels as the St. Regis and the Peninsula, the Shoreham is in Midtown West but right near the Fifth Avenue dividing line into Midtown East -- sort of the middle of the middle, as it were.

For subway transport: the E/M trains are two blocks south and the N/Q/R trains are five blocks north. Visitors can also hail a cab -- there are plenty on the corner of both Fifth and Sixth avenues (a half-block in either direction). The hotel can also make car-service arrangements, for a higher cost than flagging a taxi.

Aside from a string of high-end emporiums only a half-block away -- such as Prada, Gucci, and Tiffany's -- this section of Midtown is populated with corporate offices. Upscale department stores like Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys New York are a short walk away.

Central Park is five blocks north on Fifth Avenue. The Museum of Modern Art is two blocks south. Also within walking distance are Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall.

The hotel's 177 rooms are spread between two buildings. The eastern, pre-war building has bigger rooms and higher ceilings than the more recently constructed western building. The price for standard rooms is the same in both buildings, so be sure to request a room on the east side. At 175 square feet, the standard rooms are a touch smaller than most NYC boutique hotel rooms, but their minimalist design helps keep them from feeling claustrophobic. Bed headboards are framed by backlit alcoves decorated with a shadowy, black-and-white photograph of a lily.

All rooms feature 42-inch flat-screen TVs, fully stocked minibars, and Bose Wave Radios. Gray-marble and white-tile bathrooms come with PURE bath products and cotton robes. Standard rooms have either glass shower stalls or shower/tub combos, while suites have separate showers and tubs. Rollaway beds and cribs are available for a nightly fee, but they can only fit in the larger rooms (225 square feet and up).

The Atrium Loft Penthouse is a three-room, 800-square-foot guest room and event space with a six-person whirlpool and a small balcony. 

Free morning snacks are available in the trendy bar and grill. Two bikes, two ellipticals, and two treadmills make up the bulk of the fitness center, which also has free weights and fitness balls. The business center is just two computers and a printer, but they are available to use 24 hours a day. And a ten-person conference room -- called the Style Suite -- is off of the lobby.