Like the city itself, hotels in Hollywood are the stuff made of legend. Whether being used as a long-term residence for young starlets chasing the dream, or as a crash pad for rock stars in pursuit of Bacchanalian revelry, hotels in this celebrity-centric locale exude star power in their own right. And so, without further ado, here is a list of some distinguished Hollywood hotels, both old and new.
The Old:
A Spanish-style building that opened in 1927, this legendary landmark is situated on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame and kitty-corner from Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Named after Theodore Roosevelt, the hotel was originally owned by Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Louis B. Mayer. It gained wide recognition after the Academy Awards were first held there in 1929 to a capacity crowd of 250. The Roosevelt is also renowned for being the long-term residence to numerous stars including Marilyn Monroe who stayed in Room #246 during the 1950s (some swear that her ghost now lives there). Today, the Roosevelt is still highly relevant among the glitterati and the reasons for this are many. The outdoor Tropicana bar is adjacent to a swimming pool featuring an underwater mural painted by David Hockney; an exclusive nightclub in the main level of the hotel, Teddy’s, appeals to young Hollywood socialites; the Library bar, old-school in appearance, serves hand-crafted cocktails; and the Spare Room, a gaming lounge that includes a vintage bowling lane (handmade leather bowling shoes are available on loan) as well as classic cocktails and vaudeville acts. The hotel’s restaurants are also popular: The Public Kitchen and Bar serves high-end comfort food while the award-winning burger joint, 25 Degrees, offers a variety of dining options around the clock. And if you want to see the ultimate in Hollywood decadence, request a tour of the Gable & Lombard Penthouse, a three-story suite that boasts a 1,000 square foot private rooftop deck, chairs by Mies Van der Rohe and three flat screen TVs. Clearly, the penthouse has undergone renovations since the days that Clark and Carole would secretly rendezvous there.
Opened in 1929, the Chateau Marmont’s salacious past stems back to its early years and lives on to the present day. Nestled in the Hollywood Hills overlooking Sunset Boulevard, the hotel’s architecture, modeled after a French castle, provides old-world elegance. Over the years, the Chateau has hosted many glamorous events but it has also been used as a kind of refuge for celebrities (rooms provide a view of the surrounding gardens and a few of the suites include a full kitchen). So even though Greta Garbo attended many lavish parties at the Chateau, she also chose to stay here when she “want[ed] to be alone” (it’s been said that the famous recluse would often not leave her room for days). James Dean auditioned with Natalie Wood for his role in Rebel without a Cause here. So intertwined is this hotel with Hollywood culture, the Chateau Marmont served as the main setting in Sofia Coppola’s recent film about movie star life, Somewhere. Though some of the tales from the hotel’s fabled past are tragic (F. Scott Fitzgerald suffered a heart attack and John Belushi died of a drug overdose here), the good times seem to outweigh the bad. In fact, if you squint hard enough, you might even see ghosts of Led Zeppelin riding motorcycles down the hotel’s hallways.
A five-acre property made up of Mediterranean-style villas discretely situated on lush gardens, the Sunset Marquis is particularly appealing to those interested in the L.A. music scene (it is conveniently located just off the Sunset Strip, near famed nightclubs the Whisky A Go-Go and the Viper). The serene setting of the hotel and European-style spa with iridescent-tiled walls is juxtaposed against the darkly lit Bar 1200, which hosts many entertainment industry parties, post-award show celebrations, impromptu concerts and wrap parties. The Sunset Marquis also has a recording studio installed in its basement to attract recording artists. As the hotel itself proudly proclaims, “If we were any more Hollywood, our pool would be shallow at both ends.”
The New:
The pool deck at the SLS Beverly Hills
If Holly Golightly were living in Los Angeles today, instead of New York circa 1959, she would have hosted one of her fabulous parties at the SLS (though her leopard-skin rugs would be replaced by the glass moose head mounted in the lobby, the velvet furniture would look more or less the same). The entire place – including the hotel’s highly-acclaimed restaurant, The Bazaar by José Andrés – was designed by Philippe Starck, the enfant terrible of the design world who continues to push boundaries. His propensity toward odd combinations of materials (glass with stone, plastic and aluminum, dark, plush fabric with chrome) punctuated with unexpected ornamentation is ubiquitous throughout the hotel. Thus, normally mundane activities (riding an elevator, a visit to the restroom) become part of the design experience. And this is before you set foot on the hotel’s rooftop pool terrace, which is simply out of this world, or in the tranquil setting of the hotel’s Ciel Spa. The location of the SLS is not among the hubbub of Hollywood nightlife (it is located at the crossroads of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles), but is near the Beverly Center, Rodeo Drive and the Grove, all popular haunts for celebrities.
Those looking for chic style at an affordable rate will like the Standard. Rooms are far less stately than other landmark hotels (think dormitory chic), but the hotel still provides plenty of stimulation in and around the property. The lobby is designed in a minimalist style, with touches of whimsy that include a shag carpet, a human fish tank(!) and an outdoor pool surrounded by cobalt blue astro turf. The Restaurant at the Standard, open 24/7, resembles an old-school coffee shop and features fantastic comfort food. The hotel also promotes local and international culture with its “Standard Culture” listings of cool things to do in the hotel (DJs in residence, readings by celebrated authors) or nearby (an outdoor screening of classic films at the Hollywood Forever cemetery). Lest there be any doubt about the hotel’s style quotient, recall that this is where the ladies from Sex and the City chose to stay when they visited L.A during Season 3 of the series.
The Old and New Again:
Just like many of its celebrities, some of the older hotels in Hollywood have undergone a facelift and name change. The Andaz West Hollywood is one of those hotels. Opened in 1963 as the Gene Autry Hotel, it was sold in 1966 to become the Continental Hyatt House, known colloquially in the rock industry as the Riot House. During its heyday as the Riot House, Led Zeppelin rode motorcycles down the hallways here too, and members of the Stones and/or the Who tried to one-up them by dropping television sets out of upper floor windows. Considerably more polished and refined now, the Adnaz has distanced itself from its storied past, with its newly elegant design and adherence to the “Respire by Hyatt” standard – a hypo-allergenic room purification process (how very un-rock ‘n’ roll). Still, the hotel pays homage to its roots with its RH restaurant and bar (RH = Riot House) which serves cocktails such as the Mr. Plant, made with No. 209 Gin, cucumber, tangerine, agave syrup and soda, a drink befitting of a modern-day Golden God.
Travel and accommodation subsidized by the following: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Chateau Marmont, Sunset Marquis, SLS Beverly hills, The Standard West Hollywood and The Andaz West Hollywood
