By Shari Hartford

So many hotels today have a disconnect between the public spaces and the guest rooms. You see a chic modern lobby and then enter your traditional mumsie-style room and say, hey, did the elevator take me to another space?

This is so not the case with NYLO New York City. Located on the trendy Upper West Side, the hotel is the perfect base of operation for visiting the Museum of Natural History, The Planetarium, Lincoln Center and Central Park. Many subways lines are right at the doorstep so getting around the rest of the city is a snap. There’s a comfortable and hip lobby with a fantastic bar, a seasonal outdoor roof lounge and two excellent restaurants.

Ah, the 291 guest rooms. They are about as far removed from the usual hotel décor as you can get. The ambiance is techy chic…no carpet; blonde wood platform beds; wood and brightly colored metal cabinets and drawers that are slightly reminiscent of gym lockers; and stainless steel cabinetry in the ultramodern bathroom. Try to snag a room with a balcony. There is real outdoor furniture for sitting, snacking and looking out on the city. I particularly loved the trio of very cool hanging fabric lamps; they swayed gently whenever you walked past and bathed the room in glowing ambient light. And hurray for an abundance of electrical outlets and good bedside reading light. But the wrapped plastic cups in the bathroom? Really? That is so out of character with the surroundings.

My overnight visit coincided with a howling winter day so I must return in the spring. The rooftop lounge beckons. Maybe a two-cocktail night? One at the lobby bar and one under the stars.

For more information, see nylohotels.com.