What to expect: Located on a quiet, pedestrian-friendly street, the six-story Townsend welcomes guests into a lobby graced with a carved-marble fireplace, marble floors, and cherry wood walls. Music played on a baby grand piano, combined with fresh flowers and antique furniture, helps establish the hotel's intimate and traditional ambience that attracts a variety of travelers.

Amenity highlights: Open 24 hours, the spacious fitness center offers TV monitors with individual headsets and an excellent selection of equipment including elliptical cross-trainers, recumbent bikes, treadmills, step machines, and free weights. The hotel's Rugby Grille offers tableside preparation of several continental dishes, and has long been recognized as one of Michigan's best restaurants by Zagat's Restaurant Guide.

Insider tip: Just 5 miles from the hotel, the storied and quite beautiful Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills offers visitors a chance to experience one of the great centers of architecture and interior design in the United States. Founded in 1904, Cranbrook includes a complex of gardens, museums, and schools designed by many great architects from the past century.