What to expect: Guests enter the Boston hotel through a grand archway where attentive doormen are always ready to hail a taxi. The Boston Harbor Hotel's spacious lobby is adorned with hand-carved wood, Italian marble, and framed historical maps of Boston. Elaborate floral arrangements give off splashes of color and delicately scent the air. At the back of the lobby, huge bay windows look out onto a lively yacht marina and a gold-domed pavilion, which can be booked for private functions.

Amenity highlights: All guestrooms have a work desk, two dual-line speaker telephones, high-speed Internet connections, and Bose radio/players. The hotel can accommodate intimate gatherings or groups of 500 in its 9,600 square feet of meeting space. Guests can indulge in the 60-foot lap pool or with a yoga class; Swedish massages and herbal body wraps are also available. Traveling pets are welcome to stay in the guestrooms, and all get a free basket of toys and treats.

Insider tip: In summer, the hotel’s waterfront terrace opens for drinks, dinner, and entertainment. It’s a trendy spot, so it’s best to get a table by 5 PM. On Tuesday nights, the sweet sounds of summer soul echo throughout the harbor. On Wednesday nights, the dance floor comes alive with the sounds of swing music. On warm Thursday nights, the terrace is alive with jazz. On Friday nights, guests enjoy outside dining and a classic movie on an outdoor screen. From January through April each year, the hotel sponsors New England’s largest wine festival; it’s wise to book early because tickets sell fast.

What to expect: There are now two Ritz-Carlton hotels in Boston. This is the contemporary companion to the traditional beauty three blocks away. The decor is elegantly enhanced by a $1 million art collection. Artfully arranged orchids, jades, and miniature Asian-inspired rock gardens, along with background music, create a feeling of peace and tranquility throughout the property.

Amenity highlights: Guests enjoy discounted access to the adjoinng Sports Club/LA Boston, a 100,000-square-foot fitness-and-spa complex with a 75-foot lap pool. (Guests must be over 16, and there are surcharges for spa services and fitness classes.) The Ritz-Carlton's award-winning JER-NE restaurant offers a cosmopolitan setting for inspired regional and international cuisine.

Insider tip: The concierge has literature for guests who wish to take a self-guided tour of the hotel’s framed artwork and grand-scale sculptures collection. The concierge can also secure performance tickets, including movie tickets at the adjacent 19-screen theater.

What to expect: The lobby, with its wood-paneled walls, gilded and coffered ceilings, bronze elevator doors, and chandeliers, is a glamorous downtown rendezvous. Throughout the Boston Omni Parker House Hotel, paintings and prints depict over 150 years of local history. The Press Room has been the launching pad for countless Massachusetts politicians through the years. Within easy access of Boston’s historical, shopping, financial, and government districts, this hotel draws equal numbers of vacationers and business travelers.

Amenity highlights: Boston Cream Pie, Boston Scrod, and, of course, Parker House Rolls all originated—and are still served—at Parker’s, the hotel’s renowned restaurant. John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier at Table 40. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available in the lobby.

Insider tip: Start your tour of the Freedom Trail, Boston Irish Heritage Trail, and Literary Trail all from the hotel. Or take a complimentary 90-minute guided tour of the downtown portion of the Freedom Trail, led by National Park Service rangers. Ranger tours are offered daily mid-April through Thanksgiving and begin at park headquarters on 15 State Street, about two blocks from the hotel.