The hotel is transforming itself from a somewhat fusty dowager into a hip traveler's hideaway whose design and comfort level are in keeping with the times (although there is a charge for in-room Web access).
Note: The staff is conscientious about assigning rooms where a stay will not be interrupted by construction noise.
Certain areas, such as the lobby, have already been converted to a stylish place furnished with clubby, pillow-laden couches, modern art reproductions, and statement chandeliers.
The renovation of the 180 guest rooms and suites is scheduled for completion in 2009 and the new design (pictured) is fresh, exciting, and functional.
The essentials of modern life -- a flatscreen TV, work desk, iPod player, espresso maker -- are included in rooms enlivened with a modern palette (ours was cranberry, black, white, and chartreuse with a silver graphic on white walls).
And that's not all that makes a stay in one of the suites so appealing...
