The latest hotel trend is to have an expert for every aspect of a stay, including a pillow concierge, a bath butler, a tea sommelier and even a bow-wow butler to cater to canine needs. The best and most practical one we've come across is the music concierge at The Aria hotel in Prague. Most visitors come to Prague for the culture, especially the music. There are a million opportunities to attend a concert in the city. Every church and hall seems to host a concert for a very reasonable price, but for something more formal purchase tickets for the Opera House or try to time your visit to a festival, such as the Verdi Festival in August, or the annual Prague Jazz Festival in October. For music fans, there's no better place to stay than the Aria.

Each floor of this boutique hotel is dedicated to a music genre, from classical, jazz, Opera, and contemporary. The 52 guest rooms are named after a composer or an artist, from Elvis and Mozart to Billie Holiday and John Coltrane. The public areas of the hotel are also named after music- there's the Music Box for private film screens, The Music Library for cds and dvds, and the Music Salon, simply for relaxing. Dr Ivana Stehlikova, who holds a PhD in Musicology, is the hotel's music director and curates the hotel's 1000 cd and dvd collection, as well as various book about music and musicians.

The music theme is everywhere. The Aria's street entrance is marked by a single brass note on the sidewalk, and inside the hotel, the floor is covered with Italian mosaic tile with embedded notes. Although the Aria could be classified as a theme hotel, there's nothing hokey or Disney-esque about it.

The design blends baroque and Renaissance architecture with modern touches, with plenty of skylights and windows to maximize the views. The heart of the hotel is the atrium Winter Garden, which houses a lounge area and bar as well as the in house Coda Restaurant. The area is flooded with lights and with the grand piano and scattered couches and chairs, it's the perfect place to have a drink and collect your thoughts.

Designer Rocco Magnoli used a color palette of rich crimson, cream and yellow to decorate the guest rooms. As expected, the guest room music selection is superb. Every room has complimentary Internet access, flat screen computer monitor, DVD/CD players and the computer system contains a huge library of songs, allowing guests to search by artist as well as mood, such as music to wake up to, music to fall asleep to and music to make love to.Each room's music system contains biographical information about the composer the room is named for, as well as a selection of their best music. Other little details in the rooms include original artwork, under-floor heating in the bathroom, rain showers and Frette linen.

Music aside, there are plenty of options for unwinding at and around The Aria. The hotel is located in Mala Strana, also known as the Little Quarter or the Left Bank, which isn't as crowded as the Right Bank. Charles Bridge and The Prague Castle are just a short stroll away. If you'd rather relax inside the hotel, there's the elegant Coda Restaurant, which has a decadent look, with its oversized red velvet and gilt furniture. The menu is modern European, with dishes including Grilled baby chicken with saffron risotto, semi dried tomatoes and basil pesto; Marinated octopus with garlic fresh mint, parsley and balsamic vinegar; and warm chocolate cake with molten center with home made vanilla ice cream, creme fraiche and forest berry coulis. When the weather is warmer, head to the Coda Roof Terrace restaurant and bar for cocktails, drinks and an incredible panoramic view of the city and you'll be hearing sweet music all night long.

Rates start at 350 euros.

The Aria
Trziste 9
Prague 1
Mala Strana
Phone: 420 225 3341
www.ariahotel.net
www.codarestaurant.cz

All images courtesy of the Aria Hotel Prague.