Conrad New York Rating: 4.5 Pearls

Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City

The Conrad New York's atrium lobby, which is accessed by elevators from the main entrance, effectively sets the tone for the entire hotel: It's massive, sleek, and not a little futuristic. It's dominated by the 13-story Loopy Doopy painting, which depicts -- to put it in layman's terms -- a lot of blue squiggles, and a giant two-tiered sculpture made of aluminum and hundreds of cables is suspended from the ceiling. The lobby lighting changes colors (there are seven shades, including blue and red) which enhances the ultra-modern feel.

The hotel is owned by Goldman Sachs, and the finance giant is located right next door, separated from the hotel only by a covered corridor of restaurants and shops. The proximity helps make the hotel an after-work hot spot for the corporate crowd: The lobby bar buzzes with suit-clad customers in the evening, as does the rooftop bar in nice weather. Since the lobby sees plenty of non-guests passing through, the elevators can only be used with guest key cards for extra security.

It should come as no surprise that a hotel owned by Goldman Sachs has impressive meeting space -- 30,000 square feet of it, to be exact. All of the meeting rooms are grouped together in a separate area off of the lobby so that the rest of the hotel won't feel as overrun during big events, and there are permanent registration desks in place. Catering is coordinated by Danny Meyer's Union Square Events -- a major plus -- and non-business guests can sample Danny Meyer's renowned cuisine at North End Grill, Blue Smoke, and the Shake Shack, all immediately near the hotel.

The rooms, as one may expect after Jetsons-esque lobby, come with plenty of bells and whistles -- high-tech lighting controls, two flat-screen TVs with digital concierge services and a good selection of channels, cordless phones, iPod docks, wet bars, and Nespresso machines, among other luxe amenities. Every room is a suite with a separate living room and bedroom -- remarkable in New York City, where plenty of hotels charge much more for less square footage -- and some even have pull-out couches (not guaranteed). The size of the rooms helps make this hotel popular with leisure travelers as well as business guests.

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Conrad New York is located in Battery Park City, a community on the westernmost side of lower Manhattan. It's a reasonably convenient location for seeing downtown sights such as the World Trade Center, Trinity Church, and Wall Street, but it's a bit far from popular Midtown tourist attractions. Numerous subway stops are within a 10-minute walk.

The Conrad New York is at the center of a significant restaurant hub -- Danny Meyer's Blue Smoke, North End Grill, and Shake Shack are all directly adjacent to or right near the hotel. There's also a Regal Cinema in the same building.

• 9-minute walk to the 1,2,3 subway stop at Chambers St. and Hudson St.
• 9-minute walk to the A,C stop at Church St. and Warren St.
• 11-minute walk to the 9/11 Memorial entrance
• 15-minute walk to Trinity Church and the start of Wall Street
• 25 minutes by foot and subway to Times Square and the Theater District
• 25 minutes by foot and subway to Central Park
• 25-minute walk or 7-minute drive to The South Street Seaport

The Conrad New York has 463 rooms, and all are two-room suites with separate living rooms and bedrooms. Deluxe Suites and Superior Suites are both 430 square feet and identical in all respects except for the view -- Superior Suites are situated on higher floors for better views. Premier Suites and Luxury Suites are larger, at 700 and 750 square feet, respectively, and have bigger bathrooms with soaking tubs.

The decor is clean and modern, featuring light woods, neutral colors, contemporary art, and fluffy white duvets on the beds.

The bathroom areas in the Deluxe and Superior Suites are designed to maximize space; there is a narrow room with a toilet and sink, as well as an adjacent (and massive) walk-in shower with rainfall showerhead. Both are accessed from the corridor between the living room and bedroom, and there are two frosted glass sliding panels on each end that can be closed for privacy.

• Separate living rooms and bedrooms
• Comfortable beds with fluffy white duvets and excellent pillows
• Massive walk-in showers with rainfall showerheads
• High-end Aromatherapy toiletries (and two other brands of toiletries available so guests can personalize their experience)
• Wet bars with glassware, sinks, Nespresso machines, and minibars
• Frosted glass sliding partitions on either end of the corridor between the living room and bedroom
• High-tech lighting controls
• Two flat-screen TVs with a good selection of channels, including HBO, as well as plug-in ports for laptops and other electronics
• Wi-Fi for a fee
• Digital concierge services for making dinner reservations, ordering room service, or requesting amenities for the room; can be accessed using the in-room TVs, laptops, smartphones, and tablets
• Some rooms have pull-out sofas (not guaranteed in advance)
• River or city views
• Quality robes and slippers
• Nightly turndown service, and free items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste upon request
• Deluxe and Superior Suites have a king bed or two double beds; handicap-accessible rooms available.
• Premier and Luxury suites have soaking tubs.