Fodor's Expert Review Hôtel Plaza Athénée

Positioned unobtrusively by Central Park on the Upper East Side, the Plaza Athénée (now related in name only to its Parisian cousin) makes stellar service a priority, with a personal sit-down check-in off to the side of the lobby and extravagant in-room dining service with white tablecloths, candles, and flowers. Rooms have big bathrooms and refined, if nondescript, furnishings and linens. The hotel might seem stuffy to some younger visitors, but to others, it's a welcome dose of old-school luxury. Bar Seine is a fabulously dark and secretive hideaway, and surely the only bar in New York with a floor made of leather. Arabelle serves American fare with a French accent.