Hilton Albany

Prós: We stayed at the hotel over the 4th of July weekend, and we were given a room on the upper floor facing the capital, so that we could see the fireworks. The hotel has a nice indoor pool, but because the heat was not working well and the water was pretty cold, our kids spent a lot of time playing in the hot tub (which was warm but not hot). The fireworks were fantastic from the hotel, even with a slightly obstructed view. With our youngest one asleep, it was perfect to be able to stay in the hotel with the older one, who could go right to sleep when it was over.

Contras: We ordered room service twice, and it was a challenge both times to be understood by the person taking the order. One time we were bounced around on the phone and had to give the order to three different people. There are a variety of fees for room service, including an 18% "service charge" that the menu says is not a gratuity but that comes up on the bill as a gratuity, so it was unclear whether we needed to add an additional tip for the server.