What happens at the Chateau Marmont, stays at the Chateau?
Have 63 rooms (number 64 was reserved for Howard Hughes so he could get the best view of the starlettes swimming in the pool, and now she's the favorite of Bono from U2 ) of a considerable size that cost from about 500 euros per night to 2,000.
It's unfair to call them 'rooms' because they all have a kitchen and even the smallest is bigger than an apartment in any city in the world... some are more like cabins and others are directly penthouses . And in all of them you enjoy a total privacy and anonymity (if the tenant wants it that way, of course).
Chateau Marmont Cottage
Does the Chateau have a pool , which is accessed from a secret door that is hidden among the vegetation of the Strip, and has a calm, serene and even somewhat solemn atmosphere. The reception is also a haven of peace , the patio where you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner 'al fresco' is always appealing to order a Caesar salad and watch life go by, and access the Bar Marmont And having a few drinks at night is a thousand times easier than getting the doorman at the Berghain club in Berlin to let you do the same thing in his domain.
The arches of the courtyard of the Chateau Marmont
Chateau Marmont kitchen
Then, What is the secret of the Chateau? Why do all the celebrities (Hollywood level and very rock n'roll level, of course) want to stay in it? Well, because in essence it is something like a residence for all the Norma Desmonds that all the stars carry inside. Because yes, because every famous Norma Desmond moment arrives and it is better to have the guarantee of spending it with other congeners who can fully understand what they are going through.
The Chateau Marmont swimming pool
billy wilder he portrayed it perfectly in sunset boulevard –metaphorically known and translated as twilight of the gods –: A former silent movie star, played in the film by Gloria Swanson, who is unable to accept that her glory days are over and that she awaits a triumphant return to the big screen. While she gets justice, she sees in decadent solitude, in her Hollywood mansion, again and again the movies that made her a myth; Her eyes light up when she sees the retort the actors give her, and they burn when it's her character's turn.
twilight of the gods
"IF YOU ARE GOING TO GET IN TROUBLE, DO IT AT THE MARMONT"
No matter what kind of famous you are (actor, photographer, model, producer, artist; everything and nothing at the same time...), if the history of fame has taught us anything, it is that Every celebrity gets their Norma Desmond , her twilight of the gods, her Sunset Boulevard. Sometimes in old age, sometimes in youth, and often in middle age. So, doesn't it make perfect sense that they all want to gather together under one gothic-decadent and mythical ceiling in which to remember the great moments of collective glory? That is what the 63 rooms of the Chateau Marmont offer, the swimming pool, the Bar, the restaurant and the patio. With a huge plus: the luminous red of the entrance attracts like the best conjurer all those who want to see celebrities, something that transcends the mere freak hobby and has its own name, like a new Olympic discipline: celebrity spotting . Definitely: the Chateau Marmont is the Valhalla of celebrities.
Kendall and Kylie Jenner at the presentation of their clothing collection at the Chateau
Of course, to be able to enter Valhalla (if you have seen Mad Max III you will know how important it is) you have to make history on Earth. And that's what you come to the Chateau to do if you're a true celebrity with a rock n' roll spirit. One commits to Harry Cohn , the founder of Columbia Records, and his quasi-biblical phrase: "If you're going to get in trouble, do it at the Marmont." To the legendary facts we refer:
- james dean snuck right in through one of his windows to get an audition at rebel without a cause . -Judy Garland she sang every night with her elbows on the wonderful piano in the lobby (has anyone else thought that the Toni2, in Madrid, is the mini Spanish Chateau ?) : - The Led Zeppelin They rode Harleys around the front desk.
- The producer Rick Rubin he lived almost a whole year in the 90's because he was too lazy to look for a house when he moved to L.A. - Anthony Kiedis , of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, turned his room into a rehearsal space and recorded his part on 'By The Way' without leaving it. - John frusciante , another Chili Pepper, hardly got out of his way because of the amount of drugs he consumed.
- John Belushi , directly, died there by overdose . -Ville Valo , the singer of HIM, made his own Kiedis and recorded 'Song or Suicide' in another room. - Lily Allen she wrote 'Fuck You' during one of her long stays at the hotel.
- Lindsay Lohan she owed more than $6,000 after living, loving, drinking and partying for several months. - Terry Richardson He has used his walls more times as a background for photographs than those of a professional studio:
- Peace of the Garden she has been kindly asked several times to leave the premises for inappropriate conduct :- Olivier Zahm , founder of Purple Magazine has elevated eroticism (who says eroticism, says orgy...) to a new category in his rooms...
Yes, the hotel can have the best room service 24 hours a day. And the best masseuses. And provide the best privacy. And the best pastrami sandwiches. But he offers something else: the guarantee of writing chapters in the history of fame just by renting a room (and many times without having to pay it).
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The entrance to the courtyard of the Chateau
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