By Barbara Beckley
Harness the celebrity glamour of Los Angeles—the entertainment capital of the world – by staging meetings and events at hotels where the stars play and work.
At the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown, groups can meet or greet at the site of eight Academy Award® Ceremonies including the 1977 50th anniversary Oscar show (the Biltmore Bowl for up to 1,000 people) and other opulent rooms that continue to make this legendary property a magnet for Hollywood productions. “A Star is Born,” Britney Spears’ “Overprotected” video, TV shows including “24” and the “American Idol” semi-finals, are just a few of the hundreds of films using the Biltmore, in addition to numerous GRAMMY award and other industry after-parties. In all, the hotel blends historic grandeur with modern facilities in 70,000 square feet of usable space, including a 16,800-square-foot carpeted exhibition center.
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel – A Thompson Hotel, in Hollywood on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is another show-stopper. Its 3,000-square-foot Gable and Lombard Penthouse – where the famous pair first fell in love – makes an idyllic hospitality suite, VIP accommodation or venue for small parties or meetings. It features three bedrooms, a full service kitchen and a 1,000-square-foot rooftop deck (directly under the famous Hollywood Roosevelt neon sign) with sweeping views of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Hills. The iconic Blossom Room (4,400 square feet) hosted the first Academy Awards in 1929. The hotel sports a hipster attitude, while maintaining its 1930s Spanish colonial cache, which makes it a favorite for A-list events. Recent star-sightings include Salma Hayek and Matt Dillon. It accommodates events of up to 1,500, including the Tropicana Bar & Pool, for up to 900.
For an insider’s favorite – especially with music industry big-wigs and stars who want to lay low – consider the Sportsmen’s Lodge Hotel. Located in LA’s San Fernando Valley near Warner Bros. Studios, NBC and other entertainment studios, it’s a popular film site for movies, TV and videos. Billy Bob Thornton and Vanessa Williams are recent sightings, while historic regulars included John Wayne, Bette Davis and Robert Kennedy. Recently, and beautifully, redone, the AAA 3-diamond hotel features elegant country-style furnishings, 4,500 square feet of meeting space and lush gardens, with an historic pond and huge pool that total more than 6,080 square feet of event space.
Star-power radiates from every inch of the storied Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows in Beverly Hills. Since it opened in 1912, A-listers from Charlie Chaplin and Gloria Swanson, Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to John Lennon and Yoko Ono have lived, loved and hid out in its posh bungalows and lush gardens. The 21 one-of-a-kind bungalows are steeped in celebrity sagas. Howard Hughes loved bungalow no. 4, Marilyn Monroe stayed in bungalows no. 20 and 21, and Marlene Dietrich’s bungalow was no. 11. Liz Taylor honeymooned here with six of her eight husbands. Dozens of movies such as “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1959) and Beverly Hills Cop have been shot here. For events, the “pink palace” has 22,000 square feet of elegant inside space (including three ballrooms), and 4,800 square feet of manicured garden venues. Attendees can enjoy the cache of the legendary Polo Lounge – where the Rat Pack partied into the wee hours – in the adjacent Polo Lounge Private Room for up to 120, and the Polo Garden for up to 240 people.
Everyone knows that “Pretty Woman” was filmed at the Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills, A Four Seasons Hotel
– but so were Beverly Hills Cop I and III, HBO’s Entourage series and countless other productions. Facing Rodeo Drive in the heart of Beverly Hills, elites from presidents to heiresses (Betty Hutton and Betsy Bloomingdale each had a pied-a-terre here) enjoy its landmark luxury. For meetings, two high-tech ballrooms offer space for up to 880 people, in addition to eight smaller function rooms, and two roof-top terraces. The Rodeo Terrace overlooks Rodeo Drive, with space for up to 250 people. The 4,000-square-foot Royal Suite is an over-the-top crowd-pleaser for elite soirees of up to 40, with amenities including a formal living room with a fireplace, wood-paneled library with a fireplace, dining room for 10, entertainment room with a built-in bar, and a 2,500-square-foot terrace overlooking the Hollywood Hills.
Barbara Beckley is a long-time Los Angeles-based journalist, covering business, lifestyle and travel in Los Angeles and around the world for a variety of newspapers, magazines, websites and guide books.
