City: Baltimore, MD

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (410) 385-3000, (800) 228-9290

Address: 700 Aliceanna St.

Description: The Marriott Waterfront is the second largest hotel (after the Hilton Baltimore, which opened in August 2008 and has 757 rooms) in the city. The hotel, 32 floors of it, overlooks the harbor and is within walking distance to various shops and popular restaurants including the ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Cafe, and Little Italy. There are three restaurants, a deli, and a lounge, either in the hotel or attached. This huge hotel offers 733 guest rooms and 21 suites, each with a harbor view. When you’re stuck in meetings and just have to have a break, you can use the heated indoor pool and fitness center. The hotel is located at a water taxi stop—a great way to get around the harbor. Self-parking is $25 and valet parking is $38 daily. Oversize vehicles cannot be accommodated. With nothing between the hotel and the sky and harbor, this is a terrific location whenever the city has a fireworks display. You can request rooms ending in 01, 03, 07, 34, and 43 and watch them from your room. The windows aren’t huge, however, and you only hear the muffled boom, boom of the shells, so an even better way is to head toward the observation deck on the fifth floor, by the pool. That’s where you can enjoy the panoramic sky experience, see the fireworks, and feel the full compression of each explosion. As mentioned in the description for the Marriott Inner Harbor, make sure you know which of the two hotels has your reservation.