Dumont Plaza in New York, NY 10016

One of ten hotels under the Manhattan East Suite Hotel banner, the Dumont Plaza has been beautifully renovated, and has a lot to offer to families on the go. Elite Industry cribs, high chairs, and Combi strollers are all available for the borrowing at this lovely midtown hotel, and the full kitchen makes this a great choice for a family vacation spot. The hotel even thoughtfully provides an umbrella stand, with umbrellas! Of the 200+ rooms on 37 floors, rooms from the 27th floor and up are considered "deluxe," and are therefore a bit more pricey. The hallways are mercifully short; each floor holds only seven suites, making your stay here rather less of a trekking expedition than a stay at one of the larger chains. The newly decorated rooms are quite beautiful; the beds feature padded headboards and luxury-level mattresses that practically guarantee a good night's rest. The sitting rooms, with fold out couches, may seem a bit squeezed for space when the bed is open (we weren't even sure how the bed would open, given the large desk that jutted out straight in the way), but we were assured that hotel staff has it all worked out and will come to rearrange things perfectly when bedtime approaches. You can bring favorite CDs for bedtime lullabyes - the rooms are thoughtfully outfitted with CD player/radio combos. TV channels on the hotel cable system include Nickelodeon, Family, and Discovery, and you'll also be able to distract little ones with the built-in Playstation and web-tv controller. Best of all, the kitchens are fully equipped (call ahead and the hotel will do a little grocery shopping for you, in advance, at cost, to stock your room with your favorites and make your NY experience even more homey!), which naturally saves you a bundle on eating out. And although cooking on your vacation might seem like an oxymoron, at least you won't have to do the dishes! Hotel rooms come in three sizes: studio (with two beds), one bedroom (with a pull-out couch in the sitting area), and two bedrooms (also with pull-out couch in the sitting area). Studio suites can be booked that have communicating doors to larger one-bedroom suites, if your clan demands extra space. The basement laundry room is scheduled for a face-lift soon (although it's perfectly acceptable as it was when we visited) and includes five washers and three dryers. Soap is available for sale at the housekeeping desk, just down the hall. Hotel features also include Concierge service, dataports (computer, fax, modem hookup), hairdryers, health club with saunas (open 24 hours), in-room safes, irons and ironing boards, room service from the area restaurants (7am to 11pm; an in-hotel restaurant with a kids' menu is in the works), non-smoking floors, valet parking, valet service, and voice mail.