Best Urban Hotels in USA

Located in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood, this Beaux-Arts era boutique hotel has 63 rooms. Each of these is designed as a place to linger – there are iHome systems, flat-screen TVs, Frette linens and gas fireplaces, with in-room massage therapies or and cocktails available to order from the on-site wine cellar. Venture to the public areas via an original-cage elevator or the grand marble staircase, and you’ll discover the classic steakhouse Mooo, a gym, a rooftop terrace and a hot tub. The hotel’s town car is available for short excursions and an around-the-clock concierge is on hand for everything from dinner reservations to jogging routes.

Found in the trendy district of Downtown Crossing, right across from Boston common, the Ritz-Carlton stands out on the skyline as a gleaming tower. Inside, soft greys lead the colour scheme with pops of vibrant colour here and there. This creates a calming, serene ambience, aided by the slick, five-star service. 193 bedrooms and suites have a clear mid-century influence. The Artisan Bistro serves pasta, salads and New England favourites. In the lobby, Avery Bar features dark wood panelling, signature martinis and a lit fireplace providing a cosy backdrop for a little imbibement. Additional amenities in the multi-storey hotel include Equinox Sports Club, a pool and a spa.

The red brick facade of the Four Seasons is the kind of building you probably imagine when thinking of Boston. The building was once the city’s Playboy Club and is found among Victorian brownstone buildings. Once inside it’s unashamedly fancy, with chandeliers, marble, plush bespoke textiles and abundant space and light. Guests can dine in the Aujourd Hui Lounge, the Sottovento Coffe Bar, outdoors at The Sanctuary or poolside. Rooms range from deluxe kings to speciality suites offering separate living and sleeping areas (perfect for extended stays). Accessible rooms across each of the categories are also available to book. The indoor pool has a great view and there’s a gym for those wishing to work out.

Opened in 1987, the hotel became a landmark with its 60-foot archway linking the harbour to the city. It has received a host of high profile awards and accolades, including Forbes Five-Star Hotel, AAA Five-Diamond Hotel and Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice. Its set on Rowes Wharf, offering excellent views of the maritime comings and goings. Inside, you’ll find a large health club with a pool, 232 plush guestrooms, luxe residential suites and a gym. The fresh fish and crustacean offerings at Rowes Wharf Sea Grille are unmissable and can be enjoyed alfresco while the bar has the feel of an exclusive private members’ club.

Stars who’ve stayed here include Eva Longoria, Fearne Cotton, Julia Roberts, Christian Bale, Jennifer Aniston and Brangelina. Known as Hollywood’s Beach House, it was also used for scenes in the movie Something’s Gotta Give. Inside, there are artworks by the likes of Hockney, balconied bedrooms with four-poster beds and airy, barefoot luxury decor by one of the Obamas’ favourite designers. Outside, the pool faces directly onto the ocean, with a waterside cafe and bar. Guests can take private yoga classes, borrow bikes, book surf lessons, dine, sip cocktails in the Living Room and indulge at ONE spa.

A city centre resort, this is both five-star and AAA Five Diamond certified. The 40,000 square foot Pool Piazza (incorporating a cafe, bar and a fireplace for winter months) stands at the centre, with an LA meets French Riviera vibe. St Regis has two further bars, including The Garden Room restaurant and a spa. Guests staying here receive the hallmark St. Regis Butler Service, where every need is anticipated for an elevated experience around the clock. And its 182 guest rooms provide the luxury home-from-home feel, with marble bathrooms and iPad controls.

This Marriott hotel is in Buckhead, a graceful, yet cosmopolitan property on Peachtree Road. Public areas feature oil paintings and oversized lit fireplaces, with the Trade Root Restaurant and Lounge, a glittering ballroom, the Founders Room a boardroom and a tranquil award-winning spa being among the spaces available for use. 507 guest rooms are designed to create a sense of haven, with calming, timeless furnishings, high ceilings and featherbeds made up with 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets. Book The Whitley Suite to also have a dining room with a butler’s pantry, a grand piano and a billiards table.

Designed by Robert AM Stern, this landmark building in a fancy neighbourhood has 127 guest rooms, a sprinkling of which have balconies. Of its 42 storeys, two are occupied by the spa, which includes an indoor pool, an outdoor terrace and a relaxation zone with some separate areas for men and women. There are traditional English elements at the Waldorf, such as the formal afternoon tea and inner sanctum garden area, which wouldn’t seem out of place in the Home Counties. The upmarket cuisine in the cafe and bar takes on a French feel, however. Children are made most welcome and get to choose an item from the toy wagon on arrival.

The art deco-style Four Seasons stands out on the horizon at 186-meters in height – even among a sea of skyscrapers – with its notably pyramid-shaped cap. It also stands out as the only five-star hotel in Midtown, a prize it’s held since the early 1990s. 53 stories house 244 guest rooms, the second-floor Park 75 restaurant, a fifth-flo­­or terrace restaurant with a private garden, Bar Margot (with an enviable collection of vinyl), a heated indoor saltwater pool beside an outdoor sun terrace, a boutique spa, a fitness suite with a Peloton bike and a carefully curated art collection.

Boasting a private section of Waikiki beach, The Royal Hawaiian dates back to the 1920s and was once owned by the Royal Navy — it is instantly recognisable by its pastel pink Spanish-Moorish facade. Amenities include cultural activities, a programme for kids, two swimming paradises (a Malulani Pool and the Helumoa Playground), watersports, an onsite bakery, a seafood restaurant and the award-winning Azure, and Waikiki’s only waterfront luau. Stay in the landmark Historic Wing or the magnificent Mailani Tower in one of the hotel’s 528 colourful and glamorous rooms.

Perched beside one of the most famous beaches on earth, The Ritz-Carlton Residences has the highest infinity pool in Waikiki (eight floors up), furnished with private cabanas offering food service. Choose from a bedroom, a suite with sweeping ocean views, or one to four-bedroom apartments with kitchens and expansive living spaces. But with dining venues such as the 16-seater Sushi Sho showcasing the ancient art of edomae, Dean & Deluca and outdoor restaurants like La Vie and Quiora onsite, you’ll probably want to give the cooking a miss. And do visit the spa, with treatments incorporating volcanic stones, rainforest leaves, lehua blossoms and lomilomi massage techniques.

1,048 bedrooms, a gym, a gift boutique and five restaurants (including an upscale steakhouse and a sushi bar) are spread across the 37 stories of this mammoth, central hotel. Hang out in the lobby lounge, or at the heated outdoor pool terrace, where you’ll also find a hot tub. Relax in one of the spa’s solariums, with a saline soaking pool, a eucalyptus steam grotto and a European dry heat sauna and book a treatment performed using organic products. Try your hand at cocktail-making or gingerbread-baking with a class, watch a light show, jump on a house bike to tour the city and listen to the in-house live music sessions. Set beside Palm Park and Waller Creek, the hotel has a particularly green outlook.