New York City is one of the world's premier travel destinations, whether for business or pleasure, and it has the accommodation to handle any caliber of guest. Nothing is cheap in this bustling city, and you get very little space for rather pricey room rates. But this is New York, and you can splash out as much as you want for a historic hotel with a legendary pedigree or settle for a basic hotel chain.

Among the many extraordinary hotels in New York, the Ritz-Carlton is one of the greatest. Few hotels boast a location right across from Central Park, and the service at this five-star legend is as good as it gets. There's also a Ritz-Carlton in Battery Park, offering the same level of service but with stunning views over New York Harbor.

The Peninsula does an amazing job blending old world style with the latest technology. This is a nearly perfect hotel in every way, and guests rarely leave disappointed. The Carlyle is another exceptional example of superlative service and sumptuous rooms, and it's also adjacent to Central Park.

Another winner overlooking Central Park is Trump International Hotel, where the service is so good you'll feel like Donald himself. The Mercer is one of the newest and hippest hotels in the heart of SoHo. The rooms resemble lofts and everything is outfitted at the highest level of style and quality.

Where you stay should be influenced by what you plan to do in New York. Taxis and the subway make it easy to move around, but it's best to stay in the district where you plan to hang out. Midtown is home to Central Park, Fifth Avenue, and some of the city's most famous and expensive hotels. It's a wonderful area to stay if you can afford to since this is where most of the attractions are clustered.

Midtown also contains Grand Central, which has some reasonably-priced mid-range hotels, and Times Square, a tourist magnet and probably not the best place to stay. Madison Square Garden is a good location if you plan to catch professional sports games. There are some nice hotels at good rates around here.

The Chelsea and Gramercy districts don't have the quantity of accommodation options that Midtown boasts, but their proximity to the downtown nightlife scene and incredible shopping makes it something to consider. The hotels here tend towards the boutique or historic, and almost all of them have endearing characters.

Wall Street is not just for financiers on business trips. This is also an interesting and useful location for visiting the Statue of Liberty, South Street Seaport and Battery Park. There are lots of mid-range and upscale hotels on Wall Street, and many of them offer excellent weekend rates.

If you're willing to leave the island of Manhattan, which is essentially what people consider New York City, there are endless accommodations options in the other five boroughs like Queens and Brooklyn.