“I was.”

“Lady, that’s no hotel, that’s a museum.”

“There’s a hotel room there as part of a new exhibition,” I explained.

He gave me a long, hard New York stare, trying to work out if I was pulling his leg. “Whatever,” he said noncommittally. Well, he was almost right, it was anyspacewhatever.

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Details: the exhibition, sponsored by the Waldorf=Astoria Collection, runs at the Guggenheim (001 212 423 3500) until January 7. The Revolving Hotel Room is sold out but you can join a waiting list (00 1 212 360 4373), rates are from £360, B&B.

Susan d’Arcy travelled as a guest of the Waldorf=Astoria (00 1 212 355 3000), which has doubles from £125, and Continental Airlines (0845 6076760), which flies from Heathrow to Newark from £300 return. Further information on nycvisit.com

FIVE OTHER MUSEUM SLEEPOVERS

A Parisienne eyeful: The Hotel Everland is a capsule-hotel-cum-art-installation on the rooftop of the Palais de Tokyo, the 16th arrondissement’s trendy contemporary arts centre. It has Sixties-inspired decor (check out the vinyl records) and sparkling views over the Eiffel Tower and the Seine. Contact: everland.com the hotel costs from £263, B&B, until spring 2009.

Steamy nights: it may surprise you to learn that the world’s largest rainforest is in Germany - the largest indoor one that is. Tropical Islands, a 50-minute train ride from Berlin, is a vast botanical theme park that allows you to sleep in its tropical jungle. Contact: 00 49 35477 60 50 50, 00 49 35477 6050 50, tents from £18.50pp including bed linen.

Flight of fancy: sleep under the wings of a plane at the Canada Aviation Museum after exploring its collection by flashlight and taking the controls of a Cessna 150 - if you can prize Competitive Dad’s fingers from the steering wheel. Contact: 00 613 993 4274, as it is primarily aimed at groups of children, the minimum fee is £220, bring your own Biggles goggles.

The ultimate wild night: for a “zoopreme” experience, Wellington Zoo offers after-hours tours where guests see lions, chimps and pandas and a very unusual wake-up call - a visit from some of the park’s “friendly contact animals”. Contact: 00 64 389 3692, from £16.50pp, B&B.

A night with the stars: London’s Science Museum has Stars and Space sleepovers with hands-on workshops and an IMAX 3D film before bedding down between the exhibits. Contact: 0207 942 4777, a stay costs £30pp, B&B, with a minimum of five children (aged between eight and 11) and one adult.

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