5 Hotels That Celebrate Music

Music lovers have long been willing to travel to see their favorite acts, and in turn hotels have played up their proximity to concert venues.These days, more hotels are striving to become music destinations in their own right.

Some are themed, like Dolly Parton’s new SongTeller Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.Others are providing instrument lessons, listening rooms, recording studios, D.J.

residencies and on-site concert series, be it at design hotels (like the Parker Palm Springs, which this month began offering Parker Sessions in a new amphitheater) or at major chains such as W, Virgin, Hard Rock and Sonesta International.Below are some of the latest spots where music is at the heart of the hotel’s character.Whether you’re interested in rock, jazz, blues or electronic music, these getaways aim to put a song in your heart and a pillow under your head.San Antonio, TexasThe Gunter HotelThis over-100-year-old hotel in downtown San Antonio — where in 1936 the blues musician Robert Johnson made one of his rare recordings — has reopened after a $70 million renovation.

Big band musicians, including Alphonse Trent, Mack Rogers and Henry Lange, once led the in-house orchestras, and while the Beaux-Arts-influenced hotel has been updated with reimagined spaces and new dining concepts (it also joined Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio), its musical ties remain.All of its 311 rooms and suites have record players, along with a copy of a Johnson album.

A vinyl library with more than 1,000 records allows you to check out your favorite.Regular performances, be it mariachi or country music, are part of the experience.On Wednesdays, stop by the new Studio Lounge Sessions music series, where a lead artist typically invites friends to make music together.

Bar 414 (named for the room number where Johnson recorded) offers free live music (the schedule is here).And the Crystal Ballroom has ticketed concerts on special occasions.From Nov.

12 to 14, there will be a celebration of the ...