There is a new hotel in Poughkeepsie, the perfect stopover en route to New York City. We typically like to stay here overnight, getting us into the Big Apple at a good hour the following day. The arrival of a Homewood Suites by Hilton made that decision a lot easier.

The suite we had was spacious and comfortable. Conveniently located off of Route 9 and I-84 at 900 Thomas Watson Drive, the hotel places guests close to Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall, rich historical sites and a variety of great restaurants, breweries and wineries.

The property is owned and managed by Briad Lodging Group, LLC, the hotel division of Livingston, New Jersey-based The Briad Group. It offers a combination of spacious studio and one-bedroom suites, featuring fully-equipped kitchens and separate living and sleeping areas. Guests are also provided all the essentials needed for a reliable and convenient stay including complimentary hot breakfast seven days a week, evening social with complimentary beer and wine served Monday to Thursday, complimentary shuttle service within a five-mile radius and complimentary Wi-Fi.

The hotel makes it easy for travelers to unwind with an outdoor patio area, featuring multiple fire pits, an outdoor kitchen under a large pergola and a putting green. The property boasts a 750-square-foot fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment, including a Peloton bike, indoor saline swimming pool and an outdoor sports court. The property also offers more than 1,000 square feet of flexible space that is ideal for meetings and social events.

For more information, visit Hwpoughkeepsie.homewoodsuitesbyhilton.com or call 845-462-0030.

The iconic Algonquin Hotel in New York City 

Algonquin

Hamlet VIII, the new Algonquin cat

It is less than a two hour drive from Poughkeepsie to New York City. We like to arrive early and explore downtown. Our preferred accommodations remain the historic Algonquin Hotel on 44th Street near 6th Avenue. Walk out the front door and you are a block and a half away from Times Square.

For well more than 100 years, the Algonquin has been greeting and lodging the country’s most prominent writers and literary personalities, as well as the leading figures of the American stage. The hotel is best known, perhaps, for the members of the Round Table, a group of literary luminaries who had in common both the ability to fire blazing witticisms and to withstand being on the receiving end of them.

Each of the 181 rooms and 25 suites features a comfortable work desk and complimentary Wi-Fi. We stayed in a comfortable one bedroom Heywood Broun Suite, named for the noted American journalist, sportswriter and newspaper columnist in New York City who founded the American Newspaper Guild.

There is a nice sized entrance, with the master bedroom to the left with and ensuite bathroom. The spacious living room has a pullout couch, and a large desk with good drawer and cupboard space.

When you enter the hotel, you come face to face with the casual Lobby Lounge, along with The Round Table Restaurant. Just to the left is the hotel’s trendy and aptly named Blue Bar.

As a cat lover, I was of course excited to see Hamlet VIII, the three year-old orange cat who calls The Algonquin his home. He came to the hotel in July 2017 after their former cat, Matilda III, retired.

The Algonquin Hotel is located at 59 W 44th Street, New York, New York 10036. www.algonquinhotel.com For information call 212-840-6800.