What to expect: A wide front lawn faces the downtown area of New Brunswick. Inside, the hotel has a lobby with high ceilings, marble floors, and a dark-wood check-in counter. The six-story property is host to business guests (Johnson & Johnson headquarters is nearby) as well as vacationing travelers, many of whom are visitors to Rutgers University.

Amenity highlights: The hotel has an indoor pool with spa tub and sauna, basketball hoops, and tennis courts. Also onsite, a business center offers computer work stations, wireless Internet access (surcharge), and copy and fax services.

Insider tip: The New Jersey Transit train station is two blocks away, and offers regularly scheduled service to Penn Station and Manhattan's Madison Square Garden.