The Biltmore Los Angeles

Most people who walk past 506 South Grand Avenue know the building before they know its name. The Biltmore Los Angeles opened in 1923, and the lobby, with its painted ceilings and the clock over the Grand Avenue doors, is the kind of room that stops a conversation. The hotel is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and sits across the street from Pershing Square.

Concerts and ticketed events use the hotel's event floors rather than a purpose-built music hall. The Biltmore Bowl is the biggest room, 11,546 square feet with a capacity of 1,000, and the Crystal Ballroom holds 800 under a 30-foot painted ceiling. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held its founding banquet here in 1927, and the hotel says the Oscar statuette was drawn on a Biltmore napkin that night. The calendar runs from touring orchestras and album launches to conventions and award shows, so the room you get depends on the booking.

Arrive through the Grand Avenue doors, since the event floors are a walk from the lobby and the signage is small. Self parking and valet are both available, which matters because the surrounding blocks are one-way and slow on show nights. Lines tend to form inside rather than on the sidewalk, and the older rooms have columns and balconies that change sightlines, so check your seat section before you buy.