From breakdowns and celebrity overdoses to wild parties, the Marmont’s reputation for decadence precedes it.
If the walls of Hollywood’s venerable, and venerated, the Chateau Marmont could talk, LA celebs would be in a lot of trouble.
This is the hotel where Britney Spears shaved her head in 2007, where Lindsay Lohan ran up a US$46,000 dollar bar bill and James Dean jumped out of a closed window to earn his place in the movie Rebel Without a Cause.
It is also where celebrities have lived for months at a time, even fictional celebs like David Duchovny’s lecherous author Hank Moody from Californication.
If you have only one night in LA, this is the place you have to stay. Though a warning: it may blow your budget.
THE BAR
The entrance to Bar Marmont is not easy to find but once you do discover it the candle-lit, the wood-panelled affair is one of the most en pointe places for a cocktail in Los Angeles.
It’s moody and sophisticated with a nod to old Hollywood in the rich reds and collected ephemera. Or hit the more casual hotel bar that is for guests.
This is celeb-spotting heaven with big hitters from all over Hollywood descending here after dark, but it is also inclusive and fun; no stuffy red ropes, at least not for guests.
THE ROCKERS
Back in the day, the Marmont was a major magnet for famous musicians the planet over. It was within those hotel walls that Lily Allen wrote songs for her album, where Led Zeppelin drove Harley Davidson’s through the hotel lobby and where the Red Hot Chilli Peppers recorded vocals for their song By the Way.
On their way out, Led Zeppelin also left a trail of destroyed TVs and got themselves a lifetime hotel ban in the process.
Johnny Depp and Kate Moss also gave the hotel a good nudge, claiming that they made love in every room of the hotel with wild parties and wild lovemaking the norm for their ‘staycations’.
This was (and still is?) a hotel where anything goes, it was said: “If you must get in trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont”. Discretion was always guaranteed.
THE LOCATION
Sitting above the sinful Sunset Strip, the Chateau Marmont is perfectly placed to keep an eye on the Hollywood shenanigans.
The hotel itself has 63 rooms and several cottages where celebrities are known to shack up for long periods of time. What do they get up to in there?
No one knows because the one rule of the hotel is that it is strictly paparazzi free. If you are a guest, try to drag yourself away from celeb-spotting and enjoy the amazing services; room service and in-room massages are available 24/7 and the drinks are killer.
THE MOVIES
Such an integral part of Hollywood history has also had its fair share of the spotlight as it has been the backdrop to many movies.
One of the most famous is Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere where Stephen Dorff’s character takes up residence in the hotel.
Reflecting real-life part of The Doors is shot there showing Jim Morrison’s fondness for a drink at the bar and it also makes an appearance in Academy Award-winner La La Land.
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