Profile

If only these walls could sing. Since 1929, the Buckingham Hotel has attracted a slew of opera divas and jazz musicians partially because—as the hotel staff rightly points out—few other boutique hotels are closer to the city's finest venues for theater, music and dance. In the lobby, 11 music-inspired sculptures, featuring relics from battered instruments, celebrate the hotel's place in musical history. Each of the 100 spacious and colorful residential-style suites—which range from 405- to over 800-square feet—feature fully equipped kitchens, high-speed Internet access and all the electronic equipment needed to play the CD of live performances from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center that are available at the hotel's impressive library. A well-stocked business center, 24-hour gym with sauna, sofa beds in many rooms and a Patron's Lounge (complete with flat-screen TV) are welcome extras. And fear not: This may be a music-themed, apartment-style hotel, but there will be no sudden sounds of clarinet practice at 3 a.m. — Nick Divito

An oasis of quiet in the city's musical center.

Cons
The hotel may strike some guests as overly music-centric.

Claim to Fame
When the Queen Mum died, the "Buckingham" was flooded with sympathy bouquets. Famous guests have included Ignacy Paderewski, Van Cliburn, jazz sax great Gato Barbieri and opera's Regina Resnick.