The Beverly Hills Hotel turns 100 years old on Saturday, May 12, 2012. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
The hotel has been mythologized in the Eagles’ massive hit “Hotel California,” which captured the imperial and desperate air of celebrity. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
The grounds are still covered in gardens as originally designed. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
General manager Edward Mady, left, and Beverly Hills Hotel historian Robert S. Anderson, the great-grandson of the hotel’s original owner, Margaret Anderson, is releasing a book titled “The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows: The First 100 Years.” (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
Five panels in the lobby tell the history of the hotel and Beverly Hills. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
The banana leaf wallpaper is a registered trademark of the hotel. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
The hotel has been home to countless Hollywood film icons including Marilyn Monroe and Howard Hughes. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
The $18,000-a-night Presidential Suite has it own prvate pool and three bedrooms. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
Marilyn Monroe lived in bungalow 7A for several years. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
The Beverly Hill Hotel outdoor pool. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
