Hôtels et Cinéma
From the Carlton in "To Catch a Thief", to the Chateau Marmont in "Somewhere" and the Hotel Bristol in "Midnight in Paris", hotels in cinema are much more than mere backdrops. A major source of inspiration for filmmakers over the years, some of the most celebrated hotels in the world have played major roles in cinema classics.
The Park Hyatt in Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola fell in love with Tokyo's Park Hyatt hotel when she was promoting her film The Virgin Suicides in Japan, so much that the American director went on to film Lost in Translation there in 2003: a five-star skyscraper that overlooks the sprawling city. The hotel's anonymous luxury fits perfectly with the story of the disenchanted actor (Bill Murray) and lonely young American, played by Scarlett Johansson, who explore the city together in an attempt to rid themselves of their suffocating boredom. Through their eyes, we visit the hotel's empty bar, never-ending corridors and the sultry elegance of the rooms. Who can forget the image of Scarlett stretched out on her hotel bed in her pink cotton shorts, paralyzed with boredom?
The Carlton in To Catch a Thief
With refined charm and a luxe interior, the Carlton was a natural choice for Alfred Hitchcock's classic jewelry heist thriller. The director admitted to having a soft spot for the Côte d'Azur, and generations of cinema-goers will remember a radiant Grace Kelly locking lips with Cary Grant outside one of the hotel bedrooms... perhaps it was number 623, now known as the Alfred Hitchcock suite.
The Château Marmont in Somewhere
Sofia Coppola's Somewhere was the first film ever allowed to shoot at the Château Marmont. If those elegant white walls could speak, they would tell decades of star secrets; so exclusive and shrouded in mystery is the Sunset Boulevard hotel. Much more than plot dressing, it inspired a whole script around the complex relationship between a successful Hollywood actor and his daughter, Cleo. The movie is partly autobiographical - Sophia Coppola herself lived at the hotel for a time and the waiter and valet that appear in the film are real-life Château Marmont staff.
The Chelsea Hotel in Chelsea Girls
Like an underground Villa Medicis, the Chelsea Hotel has long-time been an artist bolt-hole, with famous guests including Charles Bukowski, Janis Joplin and Andy Warhol, who filmed his experimental flick Chelsea Girls there in 1966. Centered around the lives of a group of young people living in the hotel, the film was his first commercial success and used a split-screen technique that allowed to plot to unfurl in both color and black and white at the same time. With a soundtrack by the Velvet Underground, the movie plunges us into the art scene of 1960s New York.
Le Bristol in Midnight in Paris
One of Paris' most legendary palace hotels starred in several scenes in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, a humorous exploration of the many clichés surrounding the City of Lights. There's no better destination than le Bristol for timeless Parisian decor, with its impeccable interior design and unbeatable service working perfectly to create the ultimate image of French elegance.
Hotel del Conorado in Some Like it Hot
Hotel del Conorado - "The Del" to those in the know - is the glamorous San Diego retreat for Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, when they decide to escape their respective lives. The cosy, Victorian-style hotel looks out onto long beaches where the trio spend time relaxing in the sun. The hotel's clapboard architecture, wooden structure and Art Deco interior has made it a favourite with VIPS, from film stars to presidents.
Sofia Coppola's Somewhere was the first film ever allowed to shoot at the Château Marmont. If those elegant white walls could speak, they would tell decades of star secrets; so exclusive and shrouded in mystery is the Sunset Boulevard hotel. Much more than plot dressing, it inspired a whole script around the complex relationship between a successful Hollywood actor and his daughter, Cleo. The movie is partly autobiographical - Sophia Coppola herself lived at the hotel for a time and the waiter and valet that appear in the film are real-life Château Marmont staff.
Like an underground Villa Medicis, the Chelsea Hotel has long-time been an artist bolt-hole, with famous guests including Charles Bukowski, Janis Joplin and Andy Warhol, who filmed his experimental flick Chelsea Girls there in 1966. Centered around the lives of a group of young people living in the hotel, the film was his first commercial success and used a split-screen technique that allowed to plot to unfurl in both color and black and white at the same time. With a soundtrack by the Velvet Underground, the movie plunges us into the art scene of 1960s New York.
One of Paris' most legendary palace hotels starred in several scenes in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, a humorous exploration of the many clichés surrounding the City of Lights. There's no better destination than le Bristol for timeless Parisian decor, with its impeccable interior design and unbeatable service working perfectly to create the ultimate image of French elegance.
Hotel del Conorado - "The Del" to those in the know - is the glamorous San Diego retreat for Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, when they decide to escape their respective lives. The cosy, Victorian-style hotel looks out onto long beaches where the trio spend time relaxing in the sun. The hotel's clapboard architecture, wooden structure and Art Deco interior has made it a favourite with VIPS, from film stars to presidents.
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