Not to be confused with the Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards located near the baseball stadium, the Marriott Waterfront towers 31 stories over the Inner Harbor and offers unmatched room views of downtown and the busy port. The central location also places guests in the middle of the action; stow your car in the adjacent parking garage and get around by water taxi or on foot. The National Aquarium is a five-minute walk to the west; Little Italy is just to the north; and the heart of Fells Point is a ten-minute stroll east. The 733 rooms and 20 suites of this massive hotel host a mix of families, business travelers, and extra-large groups, and the not-too-modern, not-too-traditional decor aims to appeal to that diverse audience (think one part Pottery Barn, one part Ethan Allen). Besides the location, the appeal is in the amenities: Even standard rooms have 32-inch HD TVs, broadband Internet access, and large in-room safety boxes that can hold several laptops. The fifth floor has a decently equipped health club and indoor swimming pool. All quarters have harbor views, but shoot for west-facing rooms, which have the best sunset panoramas; those with a southern exposure overlook a construction site.

The national brands have staked out the Inner Harbor, but the greatest hotel value and experience may very well be this boutique property in the center of Fells Point, about one mile east of the . Housed in a 19th-century tobacco warehouse, the waterfront inn is part of a complex that also includes condos and a 250-slip marina. With just 38 rooms, it has the personal touch of a B&B, yet the swagger of a much larger property. Spacious and quiet (the stout brick walls measure three feet thick), the rooms are equipped with colonial-style Drexel Heritage furniture and 30-inch LCD TVs. And the amenities outshine hotels in any price range: free parking, free broadband Internet and Wi-Fi, a complimentary bottle of wine upon check-in, and a breakfast buffet of just-baked croissants, freshly squeezed juice, and seasonal fruits. The Inner Harbor is only a five-minute drive away, but it's also possible to take a water taxi. Or just ramble the surrounding Fells Point neighborhood, a former shipbuilding center that's now a pedestrian-friendly National Historic District of cobblestone streets and restored 18th-century homes with boutiques, pubs, and restaurants.