FAST FACTS
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It’s an axiom that you know the least about the hotels in your own city. Hollywood studios have, however, their own in-house experts: hotel bookers responsible for finding accommodations for visiting actors and actressses. We asked them what were the most popular hotels in the city and why. In no particular order, they are:
HOTEL
Four Seasons Hotel
FORMER GUESTS
Hugh Grant, Robin Quivers, Lyle Lovett, Liza Minelli, Richard Price
WHY POPULAR
Convenience. Most entertainment conglomerates hold press junkets here when launching a movie.
TOP ACCOMMODATIONS
The deluxe suite is 3,000 square feet--bigger than your average home.
THE DAMAGES: TOP/BOTTOM
$235-$3,000 a night
ISN’T THAT SPECIAL
Grammy and Oscar parties held here.
INDUSTRY BACK-TALK
“It has the McDonald’s thing going for it. You know what you’re going to get when you go there.”
*
HOTEL
Beverly Hills Hotel
FORMER GUESTS
Richard Attenborough, John Travolta, Cindy Crawford, Melvin Stewart
WHY POPULAR
Hollywood lore, especially if you’re part of it.
TOP ACCOMMODATIONS
For the privacy-obsessed or simply the paranoid, the uber-bungalow features a guarded entrance and pool. Also thrown in are a butler and chef.
THE DAMAGES: TOP/BOTTOM
$275-$3,000
ISN’T THAT SPECIAL
Guests are given personal phone lines and gold keys engraved with their names.
INDUSTRY BACK-TALK
“Younger stars go here to be seen if their career isn’t going well.”
*
HOTEL
Hotel Bel-Air
FORMER GUESTS
Stanley R. Jaffe, Helena Bonham Carter, Vera Wang, Diana Ross, Sigourney Weaver, Uma Thurman
WHY POPULAR
Regulars reminisce about the good old days when the hotel was a stable and Robert Wagner was a stable boy. Anyone below the age of 35 stays there because it’s dead as a doorknob and they can rest.
TOP ACCOMMODATIONS
Full-service kitchen, two bedrooms and a private patio with Jacuzzi.
THE DAMAGES: TOP/BOTTOM
$285-$2,500
ISN’T THAT SPECIAL
For the self-conscious or parvenu, the hotel will bring a StairMaster to your room.
INDUSTRY BACK-TALK
“The younger set, once they are exposed to it, and once their career picks up, start to appreciate the quiet.”
*
HOTEL
Chateau Marmont FORMER GUESTS
Dominick Dunne, Ethan Hawke, Matt Dillon, Keanu Reeves, Sofia Coppola, Johnny Depp, Courtney Love, Ben Stiller, Paulina Porizkova
WHY POPULAR
It’s close to the clubs, has a sordid past (John Belushi died of a drug overdose here) and exudes Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles.
TOP ACCOMMODATIONS
Lack of glamour doesn’t put off grunge crowd. The two-bedroom penthouse, featuring a 1,200-square-foot terrace with panoramic view of the city, has been booked by a long-term guest until at least May, 1996.
THE DAMAGES: TOP/BOTTOM
$170-$1,200 a day
ISN’T THAT SPECIAL
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INDUSTRY BACK-TALK
“It’s quite pricey for a bohemian, but since the company is paying for it, people can afford it.”
*
HOTEL
The Sunset Marquis
FORMER GUESTS
Hootie and the Blowfish, Julio Iglesias, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Ringo Starr, Bobby McFerrin, George Fenton
WHY POPULAR
Just off the Strip, it’s also near the clubs. An inhouse 40-track analog and digital recording studio helps, so do hidden video and a contingent of plainclothes security. The grounds contain a koi fishpond and real (not plastic) bunnies in the garden.
TOP ACCOMMODATIONS
A separate bungalow with a private driveway, guard and gated entrance, butler service, formal dining room, 4 master bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths and 2 marble Jacuzzis.
THE DAMAGES: TOP/BOTTOM
$215-$2,500
ISN’T THAT SPECIAL
One guest likes his walls painted robin’s egg blue because it makes him feel “creative.” The hotel repaints after he leaves so the color retains its karma. To please another guest, the hotel discards all flowers sent except for long-stemmed roses.
INDUSTRY BACK-TALK
“They’ve turned the bar into a spot where every Johnny Depp wanna-be goes to be seen. It’s insulting to people who used to go there.”
*
HOTEL
The Peninsual Beverly Hills
FORMER GUESTS
Chris O’Donnell, Anna Deveare Smith, Whitney Houston, Courtney Love, Tony Bennett, Melanie Griffith, Debra Winger, Jessica Lange, Elle MacPherson
WHY POPULAR
Quiet, small, close to shopping on Rodeo Drive, across the street from CAA.
TOP ACCOMMODATIONS
Includes a baby grand piano, private wet bar and a dining room that accommodates 12 guests.
THE DAMAGES: TOP/BOTTOM
$300-$3,000
ISN’T THAT SPECIAL
Some guests like the hotel’s knickknacks so much they offer to buy them. Hotel offers underground entrances for the paparazzi-shy.
INDUSTRY BACK-TALK
“CAA gets their people treated with kid gloves there.”
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