When you visit Hollywood, California, you have to book a stay at an iconic hotel.
Not too long ago, our family made a visit to the L.A. and Hollywood area in California. I had already done the Hollywood tour before but my kids had not so I had to pick an iconic hotel to get the Old Hollywood ambience. Chateau Marmont kept popping up in my mind and so it had to be the one.
If you are not familiar with Chateau Marmont, it is a hotel located at 8221 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. The hotel, modeled after a French Chateau, first opened in 1929 as an exclusive apartment complex.
According to Wikipedia:
It has a total of 63 rooms, suites, and bungelows. Chateau Marmont was eventually converted into a hotel. In 1976, Chateau Marmont became one of Los Angeles’ Historical-Cultural Landmarks.The hotel was acquired and restored in 1990 by André Balazs. Throughout the years, Chateau Marmont has gained recognition. Sofia Coppola directed her film Somewhere at the hotel in 2010. The hotel was also a location for Oliver Stone’s The Doors. Singer Lana Del Rey lived at Chateau Marmont during the beginning of her fame in 2012, as well as alluding to the hotel in her song “Off to the Races”. Residents from the past include John Belushi (died of an overdose in bungalow 3), Jim Morrison, and Lindsay Lohan (allegedly was kicked out for not paying her bill) just to name a few. The hotel also made a brief appearance in the 2016 musical film La La Land.
I’ll admit I considered trying to stay in Bungalow 3 to test out the haunted hotel rumors. But unfortunately (or fortunately??) it wasn’t available so we didn’t come across any wandering spirits.
You can learn more about the interesting lore at Chateau Marmont here. https://la.curbed.com/2013/6/26/10227258/a-totally-incomplete-history-of-trouble-at-the-chateau-marmont-1
Here is the valet and the entrance to the garage and hotel. You can see how private the entrance is.
Here are a couple pictures of the lobby area:
This is the view form the lobby looking out into the courtyard area:
We stayed only one night because we had 7 people. The price per night started at $450-550 for a regular room and we needed two of them for our family. The price can go all the way up to $5000 plus a night for a penthouse. My husband and I stayed in one suite (included a full kitchen) while my mother-in-law got to share one with the kids.
Our suite had vintage appliances and furniture/decor to keep that timeless feel. When I walked into the hotel, it even smelled vintage, but in a good way.
The kids’ room had a beautiful tall window with a balcony. The small bedroom area had a queen bed and the living room had a couch, chairs, and a desk.
Here are a couple of pictures taken from my suite:
I took the kids out to the pool. It was nice to see a handful of other kids. There were some nice chaise lounges and umbrellas with towels. I didn’t take any pictures of the pool area as there were quite a few people and wanted to respect their privacy.
My mother-in-law watched the kids while Donnie and I went to dinner outside in the courtyard. That is my husband, not a celebrity 😉
The balcony in my kids’ room actually looked out onto the patio/courtyard area where the dining tables were. The rooms with the awnings were the penthouses, I believe. The weather was beautiful.
In my research, I read that taking pictures or videos wasn’t really allowed in order to preserve the privacy of any celebrity guest. I didn’t see anyone recognizable on my visit, although that is not to say that there weren’t any staying there. I had a lapse in memory and took some photos of the lobby and courtyard area during dinner but thankfully I didn’t get in trouble.
The customer service was very good. When we took a private tour with L.A. Insider Tours the day of check out, the Chateau Marmont staff were nice enough to allow us to keep our car parked in the garage even after check out time, until we were dropped off later in the afternoon.
I enjoyed our stay at the Chateau Marmont and my chance to experience the lifestyle of the rich and famous for a few hours. I definitely recommend staying here if you want to get transported back in time to Old Hollywood. If you want to walk, eat, and sleep where Jim Morrison, John Belushi, or Lindsay Lohan have before, book at least one night with your significant other or bring the whole family!
Do you have a favorite Hollywood hotel? Share in the comments below.
