The Pool at Thompson Central Park New York

"This hotel maintains a shiny, clean veneer, with comfortably modern rooms, a huge fitness centre, rooftop swimming pool and 24hr room service"

"Shoot hoops, play racquetball, swim in the penthouse pool, or spa-ah at this 15,000-square-foot temple of wellness that has outsiders begging for a day pass"

"The hotel is a favorite among families for the large suites, that rooftop pool, and the cartoons that play in the elevators"

"Flanked by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park, the pool here is one of the most striking in New York City"

"Luxury all the way but geared for fun (rooftop pool and jogging track, basement racquetball, home-made coloring books for kids, 'fuhgettaboudit' privacy door-signs), the 42-floor Le Parker Meridien is an experience the second you walk into the Gothic-style archway of its mirrored, towering lobby or peer over Central Park from north-side rooms"

"With a 42nd-floor indoor pool, a name-brand independent gym, a prime location just south of Central Park, and three excellent restaurants, the Meridien offers more amenities than most of its competitors"

"The hotel is known for its two-story Gravity fitness center, which includes a glass-enclosed rooftop pool, as well as its renowned Norma restaurant, home of the famous $1,000 omelette"

"The three-story atrium lobby (complete with artwork by controversial Brit Damien Hirst) may be impressive, but the definite selling point is the gargantuan 43rd-floor health club and spa, Gravity, which has an excess of exercise equipment, racquetball and squash courts, a heated swimming pool and a rooftop sundeck with a fabulous view"

"Rooftop pool is hard to beat"

""Chill in comfort" at this "stylish" "oasis", which brings an "air of Frenchness" to Midtown with a "beautiful", "modern" lobby and "quiet", "well-appointed" quarters, which, though "snug", are "larger than most" in New York (some rooms and suites boast "spectacular Central Park views"); service is "accommodating" and the "gym and "pool with a view" are "amazing", so while admirers appreciate the "central location", "you almost don't need to leave"