Ames Boston Hotel (CLOSED)

If it’s history you seek, why not bed down in Boston’s first skyscraper? Long before the Hancock and Prudential made their appearances, the 13-story Ames Building was the city’s most looming structure. A top-to-bottom renovation of the Romanesque structure in 2009 transformed it into an opulent boutique hotel fit for a queen—or at least Madonna, who has been one of the many celebrity visitors. The rooms and suites broadcast decadence, with 13-foot ceilings, clean-lined modernist furniture, decorative marble fireplaces and reclaimed-granite bathroom vanities (never mind the gold-sequined pillows). Amenities are equally opulent, including 55-inch flatscreens and sound machines for better sleep.