What to expect: The stage-like lobby is framed by floor-to-ceiling curtains and furnished with leopard-print seats, throne-like sofas, funky lamps, and a gas fireplace. Hallways decked with intricate compass designs accentuate the hotel’s nautical theme. Hotel Marlowe caters to business and leisure travelers attracted to its high-tech rooms, Cambridge location, and pet-friendly atmosphere.

Amenity highlights: Named for English Renaissance dramatist and poet Christopher Marlowe, this hotel pays tribute to its literary origins by hosting frequent readings with notable local authors in the lobby. The lobby is also the site of complimentary morning coffee and a hosted wine hour every evening by the fireplace. The hotel is across the street from the Charles River Esplanade and adjoins the CambridgeSide Galleria shopping center.

Insider tip: Guests can borrow one of the hotel’s complimentary mountain bikes and ride along the Charles River Esplanade, a scenic 17-mile loop past bridges, parks, and marinas that afford spectacular city views. The Esplanade’s tree-lined paths, which include both paved and unpaved trails, are also popular for jogging and in-line skating.

What to expect: The lobby is part of an impressive 16-story atrium with glass elevators that rise in front of the Charles River. Interior balconies are lined with planter beds, adding a pleasant natural touch. The hotel is popular with business guests during the week who use the hotel’s meeting facilities for conferences. On the weekends, the hotel attracts couples and families.

Amenity highlights: The Hyatt Regency Cambridge is designed for meetings and conferences, offering 25,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and a new ballroom. The health club is equipped with treadmills, exercise bikes, stair machines, and views of the Charles River and the Boston skyline. Complimentary towels and sunscreen are available at the lap pool, as are summer sun and breezes on the sundeck, if the retractable roof is open.

Insider tip: Traffic is barred from a two-mile section of Memorial Drive between 10 AM and 6 PM every Sunday in summer, when it becomes a path for walkers, runners, inline skaters, and cyclists. Guests can take part on foot or on wheels, because the hotel rents 18-speed mountain bikes for adults and children, along with helmets, locks, and maps. In October, the adjacent riverbank is a prime spot for viewing the Head of the Charles® regatta, a huge and popular rowing festival nearly four decades old.