New York Marriott Marquis

Hotel Information: The Marriott Marquis NYC, a colossal structure, encapsulates the glitzy energy and sheer scale of Times Square.

Sightseeing and theater-going families commingle with conventioneers in the hotel's eighth-floor lobby complex of restaurants and shops, which features a waterfall fountain gently cascading over a backlit glass wall and a neon-lit clock inside a Plexiglas globe.

Guests are whisked up to their rooms via glass elevators rimmed in Broadway-style lights. The hotel also houses the Marquis Theatre.

Amenity highlights: Located on the 23rd-floor sky lobby, a glass-enclosed, 4,000-square-foot fitness center (open 24 hours) appears to float over the hotel’s dramatic atrium, providing panoramic views of Times Square and midtown Manhattan. Inside, guests will find a full array of cardio and weight equipment, over 60 pieces in all, plus two giant plasma screen TVs.

Insider tip: Built in 1925 with Louis XV-style interiors, the Embassy Movie Theatre on Broadway between 46th and 47th streets was the first movie theater in the U.S. managed and staffed solely by women. It was also the first newsreel theater in America, starting a national trend. Today it's home to the Times Square Visitors Center, an excellent one-stop source for brochures, tickets, and tour and transit information.

The 49-story New York Marriott Marquis offers a total of 1,944 soundproofed guestrooms and suites. Many rooms have views of Times Square or the Hudson River.

All guestrooms feature Marriott’s Revive Collection bedding: 300-thread-count cotton linens with white-and-beige design; down comforter with cotton cover, freshly laundered for each guest; six down pillows, including bolster; and a separate mattress topper. Rooms also feature large, well-lighted mirrors to make dressing for the theater easy.

Upon check-in, guests can request Marriott's Wired for Business service, with high-speed Internet access and unllimited local and domestic long-distance calls for a daily fee.

Smoking is not permitted inside hotel rooms.

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