Built in 2007, this 12-story Hilton Garden Inn shares a lobby (and a handful of amenities) with a Homewood Suites hotel. Business travelers are the main clientele here during the week, while tourists pack the house on the weekends, eager to take advantage of the hotel's proximity to the National Aquarium and Inner Harbor restaurants and shops (less than a 10-minute walk away).

While this 183-room property doesn't offer the most memorable hotel experience, it wins big points for its location, comfortable guest rooms, and access to the impressive Maryland Athletic Club. The club is connected to the hotel and boasts three heated indoor pools, tons of modern workout equipment, and free group classes. An on-site restaurant is open daily for breakfast (a paid buffet) and dinner. Room service is only available during dinner hours, but guests can buy frozen meals at the lobby convenience store to heat up in their room's microwave.

Style-wise, the hotel is a bit of a bore. The roomy lobby features off-white tile floors, wood-paneled accent walls, fake plants, and bland furniture. There are two main sitting areas to choose from -- one with a flat-screen TV and one with an electric fireplace.

The Hilton Garden Inn is located between rows of shops and restaurants in the recently developed Harbor East neighborhood. The waterfront is a two-minute walk from the hotel, and Inner Harbor tourist attractions like the National Aquarium and Harbor Place shopping mall are about a 10-minute walk away. The immediate area is polished and new, but historic Fell's Point and the restaurant district of Little Italy are within walking distance.

• 10-minute walk to the National Aquarium
• Six-minute drive to the Baltimore Convention Center
• Eight-minute drive to Oriole Park at Camden Yards
• 20-minute drive to the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport

The hotel’s 183 rooms feature run-of-the-mill decor in shades of beige and brown. Each is furnished with white bedding, minimalist wooden furniture, framed reproductions of abstract art paintings, and patterned brown carpeting. Rooms are average-sized and come with one king or two queen beds, a flat-screen TV, mini-fridge, microwave, Keurig coffeemaker, and free Wi-Fi. Some king rooms have sofa beds.

This Hilton Garden Inn has a solid range of amenities, including a spacious business center, guest laundry room, and a lobby convenience store with microwaveable dinners, wine, beer, and snacks (all open 24 hours). The second floor is also home to the Garden Grille & Bar, which is open for breakfast (buffet and limited a la carte options) and dinner. Other perks include an eighth floor courtyard garden and evening room service. The real gem of the hotel is that it’s attached to the Maryland Athletic Club. Guests get free access to three indoor saltwater pools, a hot tub, free group classes, and tons of top-notch equipment. Valet parking is pricey and several guests have complained about long wait times to get their vehicles back.