Movie fans may experience deja vu upon entering the lobby of the Regina in Paris, France, the Park Hyatt in Tokyo, Japan or the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States, which have all provided shooting locations for iconic films, whether contemporary or classic. Some hotels around the world have provided the best backdrops for iconic movies. The hotels below offer guests a chance to walk in the footsteps of the stars! Here’s a list of the top 10 movie hotels.
The Park Hyatt Tokyo and Chateau Marmont
Director Sofia Coppola chose the Park Hyatt in Tokyo as the setting of her first feature-length film, Lost In Translation, released in 2003. The film featured Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson lounging in the rooms and bar of the luxury five-star hotel.
Seven years later, the director filmed Somewhere at the iconic Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles. Since opening its doors in 1929, this hotel has become a Hollywood legend, known as a haven for actors behaving badly.
The Grand Hotel Cabourg
Several scenes of Anne Fontaine’s Coco Before Chanel (2009) were filmed in this historic hotel in Normandy, France, a frequent haunt of French literary legend Marcel Proust. A room in the Grand Hotel Cabourg was even renovated especially for the needs of the film.
French actress Audrey Tautou portrayed the legendary French designer in the film, lounging in the luxurious seaside hotel.
The Bellagio
Among the most famous hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States, the Bellagio is particularly well known for its fountains, which come to life every day with spectacular light, water and music shows.
The extravagance of the hotel has attracted more than one filmmaker, providing a setting that embodies the over-the-top spirit of Las Vegas. Ocean’s Eleven (2002) and The Hangover (2009) are just a few of the movies that have contributed to the Bellagio’s reputation as one of Sin City’s most iconic establishments.
Hotel Giraffe
In the first film adaptation of the HBO show Sex And The City, when Carrie Bradshaw pays a visit to the love of her life, Mr Big, she is actually stepping into the Hotel Giraffe on Park Avenue in New York. Director Michael Patrick King chose a room in this contemporary and refined hotel as the set of Mr Big’s apartment.
The Fontainebleau Miami Beach
In Brian de Palma’s classic gangster film Scarface (1983), Al Pacino lives it up at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in Florida, lounging at its poolside tiki bar.
With its 1,500 rooms, the hotel also served as the backdrop for several scenes of The Bodyguard (1992), starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. The Fontainebleau was built in 1954 by Morris Lapidus, an architect who contributed to the iconic resort-style associated with Miami since the late 20th century.
Grandhotel Pupp
When James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, checks into Montenegro’s Hotel Splendide in Casino Royale (2006), he is actually at the Grandhotel Pupp, in the Czech Republic. The 18th-century hotel, located in the resort town of Karlovy Vary, includes rooms decorated in both traditional and contemporary styles.
The Beverly Wilshire
In the late 1980s, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere played one of cinema’s most memorable couples in Pretty Woman. The film takes place in Los Angeles, for the most part within the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons hotel just off Rodeo Drive.
Several scenes were filmed in the hotel’s penthouse suite, with its incredible view over the city.
The Taj Lake Palace
Occupying an 18th-century white marble mansion, the Taj Lake Palace served as the set of several scenes from the 1983 Bond film Octopussy.
The monumental hotel is located at the centre of Lake Pichola, in Udaipur, India, and is said to offer splendid sunset views over the water. Several famous guests have stayed here, including Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman.
Hotel Regina
Luc Besson chose this four-star Parisian hotel as a shooting location for his iconic thriller Nikita (1990), while American filmmaker Doug Liman set up here to film The Bourne Identity (2002).
Visitors can retrace Matt Damon’s steps in the role of Jason Bourne through this hotel, built in 1900 for the World Expo.
Since then, the Regina has also appeared in French director Jean-Paul Salome’s Female Agents (2008) as well as in Stephen Frears’ 2009 film Cheri, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
