New York City

Concierge.com's insider take:

The most pedigreed of the Upper East Side hotels, this grande dame opened originally as a residential hotel in 1930, with composer Richard Rodgers as its first occupant. Over the years, every president and practically every celebrity and world leader has checked in behind its white-glove wall of discretion (so leakproof that only many years later did word come out about JFK's trysts with Marilyn Monroe here). Café Carlyle, longtime home to the late Bobby Short, still draws a stellar lineup of cabaret talent (including Woody Allen and his band on the Mondays he's in town), while Bemelmans Bar, one of Manhattan's swankiest boîtes, is enlivened by Loston Harris, a suave, talented pianist and singer. The 122 rooms, however, are a mixed bag: As designed by late society decorators Mark Hampton and Dorothy Draper in Empire and Louis XVI fashion, they're a little stiff and old fashioned, but renovations are underway (the hotel was taken over by the Rosewood group in 2000). The 59 additional suites are not to be sniffed at, with their grand pianos and even grander views of Central Park. Even if playing Chopsticks is the extent of your skill, opt for one of these.