What was the best hotel you stayed at in 2004 and why

Hotel du Danube, because it's in Paris.

The St Regis Hotel in NYC.
It was awesome... service, amenities and location were superb!
~Happy New Year~

The Halekulani on Oahu..breathtaking ocean views.....wish I could be there now!

The Bay Plaza Hotel in Wellington, NZ. Not the fanciest hotel in the world, but we had a big room overlooking the harbor; the hotel is within walking distance of most everything we wanted to do in Wellington, and it was free.

Lee Ann

Two of my favorites were: The Hotel Healdsburg and the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa. I loved the HH for the contemporary feel to the place and the location. The dinner that came with our room was excellent and the 6'soaking tub in the bathroom was heaven on earth.

The Plaza is in a gorgeous location, right on the water. I loved the property for their 2 great restaurants and especially for their rooftop spa where the two jacuzis have bromine in the water to soften your skin. The views from the spa are amazing, and there are flowers all over and an outdoor fireplace to lounge by and read. ***kim***

New Mandarin Oriental in NYC. Was there with an extremely high maintenance group - and they all loved the hotel - including the food - unusual in ANY hotel IMHO. and the concierge was able to meet all their needs - some of them very difficult (for onespeaker the limo to the airport had to be a white stretch Mercedes - a cadillac just wasn;t right!)

Tha Landmark in London. Pleasant surprise. Very convenient and nicely designed.

We stayed on an Awards trip for a few nights at the JW Marriott at Shadow Ridge. Beautiful, peaceful place. Lovely rooms and bathroom, beautiful grounds and landscaping. Wonderful downstairs lobby with huge comfy couches and chairs inviting you to stay and read. Just loved it. And loved the spa. It really felt like an escape from the world. Of course our company treated us very well also. But sitting in the large lobby sipping on a cocktail reading a book and just relaxing...well, it was hard to pack up and leave.

St. Regis NYC or The Grove Park Inn Asheville, NC.

JW Marriott, Cancun

Hard to narrow this one down! Hyatt in Kauai--beautiful, stunning setting, perfect design, fine staff--too much to describe. Sheraton Moana Surfrider---historical, great staff, elegant but as relaxed-as-you-want-it vibe in the energy of Waikiki. Andril's Fireplace Cottages in Pacific Grove, California--cozy rooms in great location on the Monterey peninsula.

The Oriental in Bangkok, the Connaught in London, and the Four Seasons in Prague.

The Beijing Hotel China for location, location just a couple of blocks walk to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

The Pebble Beach Lodge. Huge rooms, real fireplaces, luxurious bathrooms, three times per day maid service, friendly and helpful staff, great spa, fabulous location. They even had two convertables available for guests to borrow (free) to drive 17 mile road. Would return in a heartbeat! Oh, and I seem to recall a golf course there somewhere!!! LOL!

The Madison in Paris.

Oops--missed the "why" portion. The Madison has a great location, elegant rooms, nice staff, and a first-rate buffet breakfast.

Chateau Lake Louise (Banff) in the Canadian Rockies would be my choice. Service and scenery can't be topped anywhere.
Hotel a bit pricey.

Would have to say the Aerie resort on Vancouver Island- very luxurious, large room, beautiful view from the terrace, excellent friendly service, wonderful restaurant, and great indoor pool. Expensive but worth it. Closely followed by the Wedgewood Hotel in Vancouver- elegant luxury, oak-panelled walls, excellent service, superb bar, nice welcoming rooms, and a perfect location in downtown Vancouver.

Thanks for reviving memories of a fantastic stay at Salish Lodge near Seattle! Our room looked down at the top of Snoqualmie Falls and the view was breathtaking--even more so at night when outdoor lighting illuminated wisps of spray floating through the air! There were two wood-burning fireplaces, one in the living room and one in the bedroom as well as two full baths, each with Jacuzzi. You could stand in the shower of one of the baths and watch the water cascading down the Falls! Fabulous food in the restaurant as well as fantastic spa treatments for both of us. Expensive? Yes!! Worth it? You bet!!