famous hotels – Page 4 – IAMNOTASTALKER

March 18, 2016March 16, 2016

Two Bunch Palms from “The Bachelor”

This past weekend, I was finally able to visit a place that has been on my To-Stalk list for eons! I first learned about Two Bunch Palms in Desert Hot Springs, which was featured in a Season 1 episode of The Bachelor, about a decade ago, but, because the exclusive wellness resort was only accessible to hotel guests and spa-goers at the time, was never able to see it in person. Though the Grim Cheaper and I were tempted to book a stay there many times over the years, neither of us is especially holistic by nature and were afraid the place wouldn’t exactly be our cup of tea, so we resisted. Then, this Sunday afternoon, we happened to find ourselves in Desert Hot Springs. I had read that the hotel had changed hands in 2012 and, figuring the new owners might have changed its accessibility policy, we decided to stop by. I was absolutely floored when the guard at the front informed us that Two Bunch Palm’s onsite restaurant, Essense, was now indeed open to the public. So we headed right on past the gate and were dazzled by what we encountered. The resort is nothing short of idyllic.

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Two Bunch Palms is so named thanks to a United States Camel Corps team who was surveying the area in 1907 and came across two palm groves (one of which is pictured below). The group originally dubbed the site “Two Bunches of Palms,” but by the time the survey was published had simplified it to “Two Bunch Palms.”

Rumors abound that gangster Al Capone happened upon the isolated site in the ‘20s and, figuring the remote, hilltop location would offer the ultimate in privacy as well as make it easy for his goons to spot approaching cars, set up shop there. Legend states that he constructed several bungalows and a casino, connected by underground tunnels and surrounded by a large wall, on the pristine grounds. Though the tales are largely unsubstantiated, one of Two Bunch Palm’s villas is dubbed the Al Capone Suite and it apparently contains a desk marked with the initials “A.C.,” a mirror marred by a bullet hole, and a lookout tower that has since been turned into a tanning deck. His supposed former casino now houses Essense restaurant.

In 1940, the property was turned into a hotel known as The Desert Spa. It became Two Bunch Palms in 1969 after being purchased by a new owner and then was sold once again in 1978, at which time the site underwent an extensive renovation. From there, it did not take long for the resort to become the stomping ground of the Hollywood elite, with such stars as Mel Gibson, Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Kelsey Grammer, Daryl Hannah, Robin Williams, Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Bruce Springsteen, Julia Roberts, Madonna, Neil Diamond, Lisa Rinna, Justin Chambers, and Bette Midler all spending time there.

Despite consistently being ranked among the best spas in the world and winning countless accolades and awards, in 2010 Two Bunch Palms was placed under receivership when its then owner defaulted on a $38.8-million loan, causing the resort’s future to be uncertain. It was eventually rescued in 2012 by a group of Los Angeles-based movie producers, who immediately got started on a much-needed renovation to the site.

Today, Two Bunch Palms boasts 70 rooms and bungalows, a grotto with two mineral pools, a lap pool, a gym, large expanses of lawn, walking trails, a pond with koi, ducks and turtles, a 3,000-square-foot yoga dome, a 3.5-acre solar field (which generates 100% of the power needed to run the resort), and an award-winning spa that offers countless treatments and wellness programs.

Though the quiet exclusivity of the property and its lush 77-acre grounds, which are dotted with tamarisk trees and fan palms, are definite draws, Two Bunch Palm’s main attraction is its mineral baths. Situated on top of a 600-year-old mineral spring, the restorative waters that flow throughout the property are chock-full of lithium and other healing elements, yet low on sulfur so no dreaded odor permeates the air.

Essense, the hotel’s farm-to-table restaurant, is also pretty darn fabulous.

Not only was the eatery’s decor sleek, modern and inviting, but the food was nothing short of spectacular and the prices surprisingly reasonable.

The Grim Cheaper and I wholeheartedly fell in love with Two Bunch Palms on sight and are already planning on spending our upcoming anniversary there.

The adults-only hotel is serene, idyllic and tranquil. Loud voices and use of cell phones in common areas is frowned upon, which creates an environment of peace and relaxation. It truly is a place to get away from it all.

Being there almost feels like being in Hawaii, despite the fact that there is no ocean nearby.

Thanks to its countless picturesque vistas, it is not very hard to see how the place ended up being featured on The Bachelor.

Two Bunch Palms appeared in the reality series’ second episode, which aired in 2002. In the episode, Bachelor Alex Michel took five women, including future Bachelorette Trista Rehn, on a group date to the resort.

While there, the group headed to the Clay Cabana for mud baths.

Two Bunch Palms was also featured as the idyllic desert spa where Hollywood executive Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) took his new paramour, June Gudmundsdottir (Greta Scacchi), in the 1992 dramedy The Player.

In the movie, while dining outside near the grotto, June asks Griffin, “Do places like this really exist?” To which he responds, “Only in the movies.” It is a fitting bit of conversation, as the resort truly does feel like a fantasy land.

Like Alex Michel and his Bachelor contestants, Griffin and June also partook of the mud baths while at Two Bunch Palms.

Due to the unseemly heat, Two Bunch Palms formerly shut its doors each year during the entire month of August. It was then that The Player filmed on the premises, which I cannot even imagine being that August temperatures typically run upwards of 115 degrees! How the cast and crew didn’t melt is beyond me!

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Two Bunch Palms is located at 67425 Two Bunch Palms Trail in Desert Hot Springs. You can visit the resort’s official website here. The onsite restaurant, Essence is open to the public, but keep in mind that the hotel is an adults-only property so only guests 18 years and older will be admitted.

March 2, 2016February 26, 2016

New Discover L.A. Post – About the Millennium Biltmore Hotel

Be sure to check out my latest article for Discover Los Angeles about famous scenes shot at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.

January 22, 2016January 22, 2016

The Garland Hotel from “Parks and Recreation”

A couple of years ago, I drove by a hotel that looked like a little slice of retro heaven and became transfixed. I made a mental note of its name and vowed to research it further. As soon as I got home, though, I realized the name had escaped me and, because I have no sense of direction whatsoever (my mom says I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag!), I did not even really remember where it was located. Then this past November, fate stepped in. While the Grim Cheaper and I were driving to the Valli Tropics apartments from Wicked City, we randomly passed by the hotel and I just about did a dance of joy! This time I took note of its name, The Garland, and vowed to book a stay there in the near future. In a synchronistic twist, fellow stalker Michael of The Golden Spoon Café and Downtown Christmas Shopping District from The Brady Bunch fame, happened to mention in an email just a few days later that he had stayed at the Garland on a recent trip to L.A. and loved it. So when it came time to book a hotel for my and the GC’s Christmas shopping trip shortly thereafter, The Garland was the only hotel I looked into. And it turned out to be even better than I had imagined!

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The Garland stands on a seven-acre parcel of land once owned by Gene Autry. Fillmore Crank, the real estate developer husband of actress Beverly Garland, purchased the large, undeveloped lot in 1970 with thoughts of building an apartment complex there. His good friend baseball player Casey Stengel convinced him to construct a hotel on the land instead. So the couple partnered up with Las Vegas hotelier John Kell Houssels Jr., secured a 20-year deal with The Howard Johnson Company, and in 1972 the Beverly Garland Howard Johnson Motor Lodge opened to the public.

The 155-room hotel was not constructed in the typical Howard Johnson fashion with an angled red roof, but in the Mission style as a nod to its Southern California location.

When the contract with Howard Johnson ended, Beverly and Fillmore ran the hotel independently for a short while before eventually signing on with the Holiday Inn, at which time it was renamed the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn. To locals and frequent guests, though, it was known as the “Beverly Garland” or “The Garland.”

In 2000, Beverly and Fillmore’s son, James Crank, took over management of the hotel, though Beverly could still often be seen flitting around the property, helping guests. When the Holiday Inn contract expired in 2013, James decided to once again operate the site as an independent hotel that he redubbed “The Garland.” He also began a $20-million renovation of the place at that time, the results of which are absolutely spectacular!

From the Instagram-able lobby . . .

. . . to the unique retro touches at every turn . . .

. . . to the lively décor . . .

. . . The Garland is honestly like no other hotel I’ve ever seen.

The Christmas decorations were also majorly on point.

Today, the 257-room hotel boasts a large outdoor pool (which sadly, due to the seriously frosty weather, we were unable to partake of) . . .

. . . countless outdoor spaces . . .

. . . a myriad of activities for families, children and couples, including a foosball table and board games set up in the courtyard. . .

. . . gorgeous vistas . . .

. . . literally everywhere you look (yes, that’s a wall of flying butterflies!) . . .

. . . whimsical design elements around seemingly every corner, which I had fun with . . .

. . . and a massive outdoor garden event space designed by famed landscape architect Jonny Appleseed.

The Garland also offers free shuttle service to Universal Studios and Universal City Walk, complimentary Wi-Fi, a plethora of onsite classes including poolside macramé and garden tai chi yoga, a business center, a gym, a fabulous gift shop that carries all sorts of California- and L.A.-themed goodies, and over 16,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention The Front Yard, the hotel’s onsite restaurant.

Upon checking in, we received a coupon for two complimentary cocktails at The Front Yard, so we decided to try the place out and wound up staying for dinner. The GC and I both opted for the TFY Burger – a ground short rib burger with a potato bun, truffle dijonnaise, wild mushrooms, Point Reyes toma cheese, and red onion balsamic jam. It was uh-ma-zing! So good that the GC was literally craving it all day the next day and couldn’t wait for dinnertime so that we could rush back there.

Oh, and our room wasn’t too shabby, either. It was the perfect combination of retro and modern, with whimsical touches throughout.

All in all, The Garland is a fabulous hotel and I couldn’t more highly recommend a stay there.

To add to the allure, The Garland is also a popular filming venue! The site has been a location scout favorite from the beginning, in fact. Back in its early days, it appeared in everything from Quincy, M.E. to Falcon Crest to Switch. In the book Beverly Garland: Her Life and Career, author Deborah Del Vecchio quotes Garland as saying, “They’ve also done a Six Million Dollar Man and Police Woman [at the hotel]. In fact, they’ve done just about all the big shows here. They have filmed everywhere in the hotel – inside at the desk area, around in the back, jumping off of balconies – and the guests just love it. Of course, it is a mess when they do film because they’ve got cables running everywhere. They’ve done commercials around the pool and the tennis courts. We always put a sign up saying, for instance, “Universal is filming Six Million Dollar Man here today” so that our guests will know that sometimes they would not be able to get to the front desk for a while or do certain things that they’d like to do. And yet they get a kick out of that. Most people enjoy the fact that they are in Hollywood and that the studios are filming here at the lodge. And it’s good publicity for us and we like it!” Couldn’t have said it better myself, Beverly!

The Garland appeared no less than five times on the popular television series Knight Rider. One such instance was Season 1’s “Forget Me Not.”

The episode made use of the hotel lobby and really gives a feel for what The Garland looked like pre-remodel.

An actual room was also used in the filming. It cracked me up to see how different the rooms were back in 1982 when the episode was shot.

In 2012, The Garland masked as Pawnee Supersuites in the Season 4 finale of Parks and Recreation titled “Win, Lose or Draw.” It was in the hotel’s Garland Ballroom, renamed the Jermaine Jackson Ballroom for the episode (LOL!!!), where Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and the rest of the Parks gang waited for the City Council election results.

Very little of the ballroom was actually visible in the episode, though, due to all of Leslie’s campaign decorations.

Nevertheless, it is still recognizable from its appearance.

Pre-remodel, the Garland Ballroom appeared in the Season 2 episode of Knight Rider titled “Speed Demons,” which aired in 1984. The room looks so incredibly different now, it is hard to believe it is the same place where Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) tried to help a down-on-his-luck dirt bike racer.

The “Win, Lose or Draw” episode of Parks and Recreation also made use of one of The Garland’s smaller ballrooms.

That ballroom is pictured below.

In the 2012 comedy The Guilt Trip, The Garland portrayed the Virginia Mountain Motor Inn.

One of the real life rooms was featured in the movie, as well.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Garland, from Parks and Recreation, is located at 4222 North Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood. You can visit the hotel’s official website here.

January 20, 2016March 30, 2020

The L.A. Hotel Downtown from “How to Get Away with Murder”

UPDATE – This hotel is now known as “The L.A. Grand Hotel Downtown.”

Sometimes while viewing a television show or movie, I become absolutely transfixed by a location. So much so that I have to pause what I’m watching and track down the locale right then and there. It happens quite often actually – more often than I’d like to admit – and drives the Grim Cheaper up the wall. Such was the case with the hotel where Eve Rothlow (Famke Janssen) stayed while in town to help Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) in the Season 2 premiere of How to Get Away with Murder titled “It’s Time to Move On.”

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One look at the frosted glass art installation hanging above the check-in desk had me drooling and I immediately grabbed my laptop to begin tracking down the hotel.

Fortunately, it was an easy find. Thanks to the ultra-sleek décor, I knew that the hotel was either newly built or newly renovated, so I did a Google Images search using the terms “modern,” “new,” “hotel,” “renovation” and “Los Angeles,” and it was not long before I came across some pictures that matched what had appeared onscreen.

As it turns out, the “It’s Time to Move On” episode was filmed at The L.A. Hotel Downtown, an absolutely gorgeous property that did indeed recently undergo a massive renovation.

The 14-story hotel was originally constructed as a Sheraton Grande in 1983.

In December 1997, it was purchased by CapStar Hotel Company and was transformed into the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown.

The 2007 financial crisis hit the property hard, though, and it went into foreclosure in 2010. The site was subsequently purchased by Hong Kong-based real estate development company Shenzhen New World Group, who began a $25 million renovation of the place and renamed it The L.A. Hotel Downtown. Though it was originally set to operate under the Hyatt Regency brand when the renovations were complete, those plans fell through and today the hotel functions as an independent property.

You can check out some photos of the hotel during its time as a Marriott here, here, here, here, and here. It is absolutely fascinating to me to see how different the place looked then as compared to now. It’s virtually unrecognizable!

The L.A. Hotel Downtown currently boasts 400 guest rooms, 69 suites, 25,000 square feet of meeting and event space, 23 conference rooms, 2 ballrooms, a fitness center, a restaurant, a lounge, a business center, and an outdoor pool.

It is honestly one of the most gorgeous hotels I have ever laid eyes on.

And in person, the glass art installation did not disappoint!

It is literally stunning.

Hot to Get Away with Murder also made use of the hotel’s main entrance.

The property also masked as the Manhattan hotel where David Clarke (James Tupper) stayed in the Season 4 episode of Revenge titled “Repercussions” – which reminds me, I really need to watch the series’ final season!

For whatever reason, Revenge did not make use of the outside of The L.A. Hotel Downtown, but instead chose to film the exterior hotel scenes at the Westin Bonaventure.

In the recently-aired Season 5 episode of Major Crimes titled “Family Law,” the site masked as the Hotel Collage, where Mike Tao (Michael Paul Chan) went undercover to hire a prostitute while investigating the death of a divorce lawyer.

And in the Season 6 episode of Scandal titled “Buckle Up,” which aired in 2016, the L.A. Hotel Downtown portrayed the spot where warring presidential candidates Susan Ross (Artemis Pebdani) and Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) stayed while campaigning in Los Angeles.

In the episode, Susan checked into one of the hotel’s Vista Suites . . .

. . . while Mellie stayed in the 932-square-foot, 2-level Grand Suite.

The property’s Presidential Suite was also used as Susan’s Florida hotel room in the episode.

Back in 1987, when the hotel was operating as the Sheraton Grande, it was featured in the made-for-television movie The Last Fling as one of the spots where Phillip Reed (John Ritter) tried to stop Gloria Franklin’s (Connie Sellecca) wedding.

The hotel’s Grand Suite was also used as the apartment of Joanne Preston (Shannon Tweed) in the movie.

The hotel played Atlantic City’s Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino where Robin Givens (Kristen Wilson) was interviewed about her relationship with Mike Tyson (Michael Jai White) in the 1995 biopic Tyson.

In the Season 3 episode of Melrose Place titled “Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Dinner at Eight,” which aired in 1995, the Sheraton Grande portrayed the New York hotel where Dr. Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro) and Amanda Woodward (Heather Locklear) stayed while in the Big Apple to see a doctor.

The two shacked up in one of the hotel’s Vista Suites in the episode.

The following year, the Sheraton Grande popped up on Melrose Place once again, this time in the Season 4 episode “No Lifeguard on Duty” in which it masqueraded as The Beverly Hilton, where Brooke Armstrong (Kristin Davis) moved after separating from Billy Campbell (Andrew Shue).

The Sheraton Grande masked as the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, where the NFL Draft was held, in the 1996 romcom Jerry Maguire.

In 2003, when the hotel was operating as the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown, it popped up as the site of the Royalty Airlines job fair in the comedy View from the Top.

In 2005, it appeared in the Season 4 episode of Alias titled “Another Mister Sloane.”

A dangerous call girl picked up a client in the Marriott’s lobby in the Season 4 episode of Criminal Minds titled “Pleasure Is My Business,” which aired in 2009.

That same year it popped up as the New York hotel where Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and the gang attended a meeting in the Season 6 episode of The Office titled “Shareholder Meeting.”

The Presidential Suite was also utilized in the episode.

The hotel’s most famous appearance, though, has to be in Fatboy Slim’s 2001 “Weapon of Choice” music video, which starred a dancing Christopher Walken.

The video, which was shot over two days in December 2000 and went on to win a Grammy and six MTV Video Music awards, made extensive use of the hotel and gives a great view of what it looked like during its days as a Marriott.

Though the property looks vastly different today, fans of the video can take comfort in the fact that its set-up is still the same and that the escalators that Walken danced on remain intact.

You can watch the “Weapon of Choice” video by clicking below.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The L.A. Grand Hotel Downtown, from How to Get Away with Murder, is located at 333 South Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles. You can visit the property’s official website here.

July 10, 2015September 29, 2017

The Bates Motel

Today’s location would be better suited for a Haunted Hollywood post, but because it is set to be torn down by the end of the year, I figured time was of the essence. While spending the week in L.A. last month with my good buddies Kim and Katie (that’s Katie pictured above), a friend named Becky mentioned that I should stalk the abandoned Sunset Pacific Motel in Silver Lake. The property is more commonly known as the “Bates Motel” thanks to both the fact that it sits at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Bates Avenue and that it has been in a decrepit state for decades. The 3-story, 37-room structure was recently painted white as part of a temporary art exhibit, which only serves to make it all the more eerie. Becky thought I would enjoy seeing it in person and she was right! The place did not disappoint!

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From what I can gather from the Historic Aerials website, the Sunset Pacific Motel was built sometime between 1954 and 1964. While the property provided a home away from home for tourists in its early years (it even had a pool that has since been cemented over), by the 1980s it had fallen into a serious state of disrepair and had become a haven for drug use, prostitution and violent crime. A 2002 Los Angeles Times article described it as “one of the city’s most dangerous properties.” Concerned neighbors had been trying to get the facility shuttered for decades, to no avail. Finally, in December 2000, longtime owner Edward Eng was charged with two dozen housing code violations at the property and was eventually forced to close it in March 2002 when the city revoked his operating license. The Sunset Pacific Motel has sat boarded up ever since. You can check out what it looked like during its boarded up phase here and here.

In September 2009, the Board of Commissioners of the Department of Building and Safety voted to raze the motel. Before the demolition took place, though, the site was purchased by Frost/Chaddock Developers with the intent of building a large mixed-use project on the site. Those plans have met with some opposition, though, and while on hold, Frost/Chaddock decided to allow French artist Vincent Lamouroux to paint the property as a temporary art instillation.

In mid-April, Lamouroux began his instillation which he titled Projection. He and his crew used sprayers and hoses to coat every square inch of the Sunset Pacific Motel with an eco-friendly lime wash.

Lamouroux also painted the back of the motel’s billboard;

its sign;

and its palm trees.

It really is a sight to see!

The lime wash will fade over time (it has already begun to disappear from the palm trees) and the motel is slated to be demolished at the end of the year, so if you would like to see it in all of its blindingly white glory, I would get over there as soon as possible.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Becky for telling me about this location! Smile

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Sunset Pacific Motel, aka the Bates Motel, is located at 4301 Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake.

May 29, 2015May 29, 2015

Caesars Palace from “The Hangover”

My recent trip to Las Vegas with the Grim Cheaper was magical, due in large part to the fact that we stayed at Caesars Palace. Neither the GC nor I had ever stayed there before and, while planning our trip, I decided to see what the rates were. I happened to find a remarkably inexpensive one and booked it immediately. It was a fortuitous decision because the four nights we spent there were spectacular.

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As luck would have it, when we checked in we were given an upgraded room in the Palace Tower. It was absolutely gorgeous – and huge.

The bathroom was massive as well and featured a huge Jacuzzi tub and stand-alone shower.

We also had a pretty stunning view of the Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis area.

Construction on Caesars Palace began in 1962. The property was the brainchild of hotelier Jay Sarno, who also owned the popular Cabana Motel chain. According to this article, Sarno purposely left off the apostrophe in the resort’s name because having it “’would mean that it was the place of only one Caesar.’ He wanted to create the feeling that everybody in the hotel was a Caesar.” The site opened to the public on August 5th, 1966. You can read an extremely extensive history on the hotel here.

At the time of its inception, Caesars Palace consisted of a single 14-story tower with 680 rooms.

Today, the site is comprised of six towers, 3,960 hotel rooms, a 300,000-square-foot convention center, a 4,296-seat circular theatre modeled after the Colosseum in Rome, and a 636,000-square-foot shopping center known as The Forum Shops at Caesars. In short, the property is massive!

The front of Caesars Palace is marked by a 135-foot driveway flanked by 18 fountains.

In 1967, daredevil Evel Knievel tried to jump across the 141-foot long fountain situated directly in front of the hotel, but failed and wound up in a coma for the next 29 days.

You can watch that failed jump below.

In 1989, Evel’s son Robbie attempted the jump and was successful. You can watch a video of Robbie’s jump below.

Caesars’ humongous Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis was modeled after the Pompeii baths of ancient Rome.

Sadly, because the GC and I were in Las Vegas for a working trip and were busy most of each day, we were not able to partake of the pool facilities.

Caesars Palace has been featured onscreen countless times over the years – far more times than I could ever chronicle here, but I will name a few of its more notable appearances. The hotel’s most famous role was in The Hangover. It was there that Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) threw an epic bachelor party for Doug (Justin Bartha) in the 2009 breakout hit. The movie made extensive use of the Caesars property, including the front entrance;

lobby;

check-in desk;

(love the shot of the Wolf Pack below);

a hallway, which (according to Hannah Allen, the Director of TV and Film Production for Caesars Entertainment, who was nice enough to fill me in on the shoot) was a hallway on the 24th floor of the Augustus Tower;

the Augustus Tower’s 24th floor elevator bay (again, thank you, Hannah!);

an Augustus Tower elevator (once again, thanks to Hannah);

the roof;

and the Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis.

For the scene in which Stu, Phil and Alan take note of Doug’s mattress on the hotel’s roof, a fake statue was installed in the area noted with a pink arrow in my photograph below.

The hotel’s actual roofline is pictured below.

“Some guys just can’t handle Vegas!”

Sadly, the guys’ spectacular villa was not an actual Caesars room, but a set created inside of a soundstage at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank. The set was modeled, in part, after the hotel’s lux Emperors Suite.

The casino where the Wolf Pack gambled in The Hangover was not located at Caesars Palace, but at the since closed Riviera, which, sadly, is set to be demolished in the near future.

Stu, Alan and Phil returned to Caesars Palace for 2013’s The Hangover Part III.

Thanks to Hannah, I learned that an actual Caesars suite was used in Part III – the Constantine Villa in the Octavius Tower –

which Stu and Alan climbed down to from Caesars’ roof.

The Constantine Villa also appeared in Think Like a Man Too.

The 2014 comedy gave audiences a much better view of the suite.

Think Like a Man Too was filmed almost exclusively at Caesars Palace.

Caesars also made an appearance in Rain Man. It was there that Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman) counted cards for his brother Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) in the 1988 classic (as Alan said in The Hangover, “He practically bankrupt a casino and he was a re-tard.”). The casino floor looks much different today, though, and is virtually unrecognizable from its appearance in Rain Man.

Hannah informed me that the escalator that Charlie and Raymond famously rode down in the movie was removed when Caesars’ convention center was remodeled in 2009. Such a shame!

Rain Man’s escalator scene was re-created in The Hangover, complete with “Iko Iko” playing in the background. Because the re-creation was shot at the Riviera, sadly, that escalator will soon be gone, too.

The suite where Charlie and Raymond stayed in Rain Man is an actual Caesars room, the Emperors Suite (which, as I mentioned earlier, served as the inspiration for the Wolf Pack’s room in The Hangover). It looks quite a bit different today, though. You can check out some current photos of it here.

The room, which is located in the Forum Tower, was numbered 7416 in Rain Man, but looks to be numbered 6316 today. It is an extremely popular room thanks to its appearance in the movie and is still referred to as “the Rain Man suite,” 27 years after the film originally premiered!

The scene in which Charlie lets Raymond drive took place in front of Caesars’ main entrance.

Isabel Fuentes Whitman (Salma Hayek) worked at Caesars Palace in the 1997 romcom Fools Rush In.

After getting married, she and her new husband, Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry), spend the night in the Rain Man suite.

Caesars Palace was also featured in the Coen Brothers’ 2003 dark romantic comedy Intolerable Cruelty.

Miles (George Clooney) and Marilyn (Catherine Zeta-Jones) also spend their wedding night in the Rain Man suite in the movie.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) gambles at Caesars Palace in the beginning of Iron Man.

In Ocean’s Eleven, Elliot Gould describes “the three most successful robberies in the history of Vegas,” one of which took place at Caesars in 1987.

Joyce Brewster (Barbra Streisand) and Andrew Brewster (Seth Rogen) spend a night at the hotel in the 2012 comedy The Guilt Trip.

One of the hotel’s real life rooms – one that looked very much like ours – was used in the filming.

Caesars Palace also made appearances in Godzilla, The Electric Horseman, Rocky III, Oh, God! You Devil, History of the World: Part I, The Sopranos, 21, Showgirls, My Giant, The Only Game in Town, 2012, and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Emma for putting me in touch with Hannah so that I could get all of my filming questions answered! Smile

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Caesars Palace (not the real one – Caesar never actually lived there), from The Hangover, is located at 3570 South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas. You can visit the hotel’s official website here.

January 14, 2015January 13, 2015

Hyatt Westlake Plaza from “The Karate Kid”

2014 was definitely the year of The Karate Kid. Not only did the flick turn thirty, but two of its missing locations were finally found – Mr. Miyagi’s house, which I blogged about here, and the fictional Encino Oaks Country Club, which, as it turns out, was actually the Hyatt Westlake Plaza hotel in Thousand Oaks. The latter was only brought to my attention recently thanks to this June LA Weekly article. So while I was in the area one (very rainy) day a couple of weeks ago, I stopped by to investigate further.

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I had actually stalked the Hyatt Westlake Plaza once before, way back in February 2010, because of its appearance in the Season 1 episode of fave show Beverly Hills, 90210 titled “Palm Springs Weekend.” (You can read that post here.) I later came to find out that the hotel was also used for some interior filming in the Season 5 episodes titled “P.S. I Love You: Part I” and “P.S. I Love You: Part II,” which were also set in Palm Springs. As I said in that post, which you can read here, Hyatt Westlake Plaza was obviously 90210’s go-to Palm Springs hotel stand-in. But more on that in a bit.

In The Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) heads to the Encino Oaks Country Club to pick up Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue) for a date. Ali tells Daniel that she will meet him outside at 9:30, but she winds up being late. According to the LA Weekly article, Daniel waited for her just outside of the Hyatt Westlake Plaza’s main entrance. Thankfully, that information was easy to verify as the hotel’s entrance looks exactly the same today as it did in the fall of 1983, when The Karate Kid was shot.

In the scene, Daniel stood in front of the easternmost beam of the hotel’s porte-cochère.

You can even see the Hyatt’s tiled lobby fountain in the background, which was also visible in the “P.S. I Love You” episodes of 90210.

Today, the fountain is no longer tiled, but its shape remains the same as it was when 90210 was filmed in 1995.

Once Daniel gets tired of waiting for Ali in The Karate Kid, he heads inside the country club to try to see what is holding her up. He sneaks in through the kitchen and eventually sees Ali in a luxe ballroom kissing his nemesis, Johnny (William Zabka). According to LA Weekly, filming of that scene took place in the Hyatt’s Grand Plaza Ballroom, so I headed inside to check it out. Sadly, due to the fact that the hotel has been remodeled several times over the past thirty years, it no longer looks anything like it did onscreen, which gave me some pause.

The most notable change was that of the chandeliers. In The Karate Kid, the ballroom chandeliers were made of ornate crystals, while the room’s current chandeliers are almost Mediterranean in style and feature iron accents.

I did notice that the ballroom’s recessed ceiling squares and positioning of heating vents did appear to be a direct match with what appeared in The Karate Kid. Despite that fact, though, I started to have doubts about the location. It was hard for me to believe that the hotel would do away with such fancy crystal chandeliers, especially considering that the new chandeliers make the room much less elegant and far more casual. I thought it was more likely that filming had taken place at a different spot, one that still had those chandeliers in place.

I also was unable to locate the set of double doors that led to the kitchen in the movie, which only gave me further hesitation that the Grand Plaza Ballroom was the ballroom from The Karate Kid. I know, I know. I was definitely nitpicking, especially considering that it has been thirty years since filming took place. What can I say? I don’t like to be 95% sure, or 99% sure, or even 99.9% sure about locations I present on my blog. Before reporting anything, I want to be 100% certain about all of my assertions.

This past Monday, I started searching for other ‘80s productions filmed at the hotel, hoping one might show the Grand Plaza Ballroom. If I could find some sort of image of the ballroom and those crystal chandeliers were indeed in place, then I could verify that it was the same spot used in The Karate Kid. Thanks to IMDB, I learned that Hyatt Westlake Plaza had been featured in two Season 6 episodes of Knots Landing, “Vulnerable” and “The Long and Winding Road.” The episodes were filmed in 1985, just two years after The Karate Kid was shot. I spent hours searching for them online, but, sadly, Knots Landing is not available to watch anywhere! I finally managed to find a (rather dramatic) scene from the “Vulnerable” episode on YouTube and, miraculously, it took place in the Grand Plaza Ballroom! Eureka! You can watch it by clicking below.

Maddeningly though, the cameras never panned high enough in the scene to show the chandeliers. I did spot some similarities between the Knots Landing ballroom and The Karate Kid ballroom, though. As you can see below, the single and double wood frame décor elements were present in both productions.

The chair railings that run across both rooms are also a match.

As is the shaping of the doorframes. The wallpaper also seems to be the same in both films, though it is hard to tell.

I still was not convinced that the two rooms were one and the same, though. I wanted to see an image of those chandeliers! That would clinch things for me. Then, like a lightning bolt, it hit me! I suddenly remembered that in “P.S. I Love You: Part II,” Donna Martin (Tori Spelling) made a speech to her fellow sorority sisters – wait for it – in a ballroom. I immediately popped in my DVD of the episode and, sure enough, the crystal chandeliers from The Karate Kid were visible! I finally had my confirmation!

While I was at it, I figured I might as well also chronicle all of the productions filmed on the premises. In the 1985 movie Tuff Turf, Hyatt Westlake Plaza once again masqueraded as a country club, this time the El Canyon Country Club that Morgan Hiller (James Spader), Frankie Croyden (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Kim Richards) and their friends snuck into. The front exterior of the property . . .

. . . and the lobby area were used in the flick.

Oddly though, the ballroom featured in the movie was actually the Riviera Country Club’s Crystal Ballroom in Pacific Palisades. You can see pictures of it here.

As I mentioned above, Hyatt Westlake Plaza appeared in two episodes of Knots Landing, Season 6’s “Vulnerable” and “The Long and Winding Road.” In the episodes, the hotel was where Mack MacKenzie (Kevin Dobson) and Karen MacKenzie (Michele Lee) confronted the shady Dr. Ackerman (Laurence Haddon) while he was participating in a bridge tournament. After the confrontation, Dr. Ackerman runs outside to the Hyatt’s parking lot and shoots himself.

In the Season 1 episode of Beverly Hills 90210 titled “Palm Springs Weekend,” which aired in 1991, the Hyatt Westlake Plaza masked as two hotels. It first stood in for the Desert Palm Mirage, where Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) thought she was supposed to meet Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) for a romantic rendezvous.

“I had to sleep in a broom closet!”

And it also played the Desert Mirage, the hotel where Brenda later caught Dylan with another girl.

I so love that the elevators still look exactly the same today as they did when 90210 was filmed 24 years ago.

In Season 5’s “P.S. I Love You” episodes, the Hyatt was used as the interior of the hotel where the KEG/Alpha Convention was being held.

The Hyatt’s hot tub was also used in the scene in which Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) and Valerie Malone (Tiffani Thiessen) almost rendezvoused. The hot tub is denoted with a yellow arrow in the photograph below (which I got off of the hotel’s website). It is located just beyond the pool. As you can see, the tiered shaping of the top of the pillar visible behind Brandon on 90210 matches that of the Hyatt’s pillars. And the boulders situated near the pool are also a match to what appeared onscreen.

Hyatt Westlake Plaza has also appeared on The Bachelor. For a time, it was where contestants were put up prior to moving into the mansion. I do not believe that it has been used in the show’s more current seasons, though. The screen captures below were taken from the first episode of the series’ 14th season, which starred Jake Pavelka.

On a side-note – my dad has a couple of doctor appointments in L.A. this week and I am heading out there with him. While I will have a new Los Angeles magazine post for tomorrow, I will not have a new post for Friday.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Hyatt Westlake Plaza, aka Encino Oaks Country Club from The Karate Kid, is located at 880 South Westlake Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. You can visit the hotel’s official website here.

October 31, 2014September 29, 2017

The Knickerbocker Hotel

I don’t think there is any property in Los Angeles, perhaps the world, that has seen as much glamour and as much tragedy as the former Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. Today, the Renaissance Revival/Beau Arts-style structure, which was once dubbed “The Hotel to the Stars,” serves as a retirement home. And oh, if those walls could talk!

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The Knickerbocker was constructed from 1923 to 1925 and was designed by architect E.M. Frasier. The 11-story property was the definition of grandeur, featuring wood-beamed ceilings, arched entryways, marble flooring, stained glass and antique furnishings. You can see what the hotel looked like in its early years here. The Knickerbocker became an instant hit with celebrities of the day, including Gloria Swanson, Mickey Rooney, John Wayne, Gene Autry, Rudolph Valentino, Roy Rogers, Bette Davis, Dick Powell, Errol Flynn, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Stanwyck, Lana Turner, Mae West, Laurel & Hardy, and Cecil B. DeMille. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio even honeymooned there after their January 1954 wedding in San Francisco.

In 1955, the property changed hands and underwent an extensive renovation, during which the vast majority of its beautiful detailing was, sadly, removed. While still an upscale destination for travelers, the hotel had become a shadow of its former self.

As Hollywood began to get seedy in the 1960s, The Knickerbocker suffered a decline in patronage. In 1963, it changed hands once again and quickly became a haven for the homeless and drug-addled. At some point, the hotel went into bankruptcy receivership and was eventually purchased in 1972 by the real estate development firm of Goldrich, Kest, Hirsch and Stern, who turned the site into housing for senior citizens. It remains retirement housing to this day.

The Knickerbocker has long been reported as being haunted, which is no surprise considering the many macabre events that have taken place there over the years. In January 1943, police famously dragged actress Frances Farmer, kicking and screaming, from the hotel lobby for failing to pay a fine on a recent drunk driving arrest. Thing only got worse the following morning at her hearing. An out-of-sorts Frances knocked down a policeman, threw an inkwell at the judge and wound up being dragged away, kicking and screaming once again – this time to the psychiatric ward of L.A. General Hospital. Shortly thereafter she was transferred to Kimball Sanitarium in La Crescenta to begin what was the first of many asylum stays during the actress’ tragic lifetime.

On July 23rd, 1948, famed director D.W. Griffith, who was a long time resident of the Knickerbocker, collapsed of a cerebral hemorrhage in the hotel lobby. He passed away a few minutes later in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

And yes, there’s more. On November 15th, 1962, MGM costume designer Irene Lutz downed several bottles of alcohol and then jumped to her death from her 11th floor room at the Knickerbocker.

Still more. On March 3rd, 1966, William Frawley, who was best known as I Love Lucy’s Fred Mertz, was walking by the Knickerbocker when he suffered a heart attack. His nurse dragged him into the hotel, where he passed away a few minutes later.

And finally, on the night of Halloween 1936, Harry Houdini’s widow, Bess, conducted a tenth and final séance, in an attempt to make contact with the former magician, on the rooftop of the Knickerbocker.

The Knickerbocker is also a filming location! The building was seen in the background of the 1950 movie 711 Ocean Drive.

In 1954, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were bombarded for a surprise taping of This Is Your Life in Room 205 of the hotel.

You can watch that episode by clicking below.

And while many websites state that The Knickerbocker was where Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) and Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) initially met up to conduct their affair in The Graduate, that information is incorrect. The couple actually met up at The Palm Bar inside of the now defunct Ambassador Hotel.

You can watch a Mysteries & Scandals episode about The Knickerbocker by clicking below.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.

I hope all of my fellow stalkers have a safe and fun Halloween! Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Knickerbocker Hotel is located at 1714 N. Ivar Avenue in Hollywood.

August 19, 2014August 16, 2014

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage recently re-opened after what amounted to countless delays and an almost eight-year closure. A few years prior to its shuttering, when it was known as The Lodge at Rancho Mirage, the resort hosted the nuptials of Bachelorette Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, and I had been itching to stalk it ever since. The Grim Cheaper and I had actually stayed at the property a couple of times, long before Trista and Ryan’s wedding and long before I ever had a blog, but, unfortunately I never took any pictures, so, for me, the grand unveil could not come soon enough. When the hotel finally did re-open a few months ago, I ran right out to stalk it. Sadly though, it no longer looks anything like it did when Trista and Ryan tied the knot there a little over a decade ago.

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The 24-acre resort located at 68900 Frank Sinatra Drive was originally constructed in 1988 as the seventh hotel in the Ritz-Carlton chain. In 2001, it was sold to Vail Resorts, Inc. and was renamed The Lodge at Rancho Mirage. The décor and design largely remained the same as it was during the Ritz days. During that time, the property was awarded several distinctions, including one of the Top 500 Hotels in the World by Travel + Leisure, one of the Top 100 Golf Resorts in North America by Condé Nast Traveler, and Highest Rated Resort, Palm Springs Area by ZAGAT. Despite the success, Vail Resorts sold The Lodge to Gencom in 2005. The site was shuttered the following year and arrangements made to fully renovate it and re-open it once again as a Ritz. Things did not go according to plan, though, and the project was halted in 2008 when Lehman Brothers, which was backing the renovation financially, filed for bankruptcy. The property was subsequently left vacant for the next five years until a new development company stepped in. Construction resumed in 2013 and, after several delays, the redesign was finally unveiled this past May.

That redesign turned out to be a complete gutting. Sadly, the resort no longer resembles its former self in the slightest. And while the remodel is undeniably beautiful, I much preferred the look of the place in its old state.

I am of the opinion that a hotel should embrace the city it is located in. If I am staying in a hotel in New York, I want to know I’m in New York. If I check into a resort in Seattle, I want to know I’m in Seattle. While some desert elements were incorporated into the new design of the Ritz, nothing about it says “Palm Springs” to me. The place has more of a generic feel. Walking through the lobby, I felt as if I could have been anywhere – Arizona, Pasadena or even Hawaii for that matter.

I was completely obsessed with the hardwood flooring, though. Gorge!

The outside remodel was also disappointing. The resort’s exterior space used to be much more open, with green rolling lawns as far as the eye could see. Today, the property is partitioned into several different areas and, while each section is beautiful, I prefer a sprawling look.

One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the view. The Ritz, which sits atop a 650-foot bluff, still boasts some of the best panoramas in the entire Coachella Valley.

Trista and Ryan’s wedding, which was televised by ABC (of course), took place on December 6th, 2003. The lavish affair cost a reported $4 million, with some 30,000 roses flown in from Ecuador and Holland for the occasion. The Lodge was shut down to the public for a whopping four days during the event. You can check out some photographs of the nuptials here.

The couple was married on The Lodge’s east lawn, in a spot adjacent to the resort’s popular wedding gazebo. Sadly, that gazebo, and the entire lawn area, in fact, were dismantled during the renovation. The former location of the gazebo is denoted with a pink arrow in the image below and the area where Trista and Ryan’s nuptials took place is denoted with a pink “X.” You can check out some photographs of what the east lawn used to look like here.

That same spot post-remodel is pictured below. While it used to consist of a large sprawling lawn, today it is made up of a pool . . .

. . . and a large AstroTurf (I know, gross!) lounge area.

It is also now surrounded by hotel wings on three sides (one of the wings is a new addition) and, therefore, not as open as it once was.

Trista and Ryan are hardly the only celebs to have stayed at the resort. A few of the other luminaries who have walked the halls include Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, former president Gerald Ford, John Travolta, Bruce Springsteen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Kathy Ireland.

On an exciting side-note – this Thursday morning at 8 a.m. PST, I will be a guest on my favorite desert radio show, “The Bill Feingold Show Featuring Kevin Holmes” on K-News 94.3. (That’s me with Bill “Bulldog” Feingold below.) You can listen to it live online here.

For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online. And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, aka the place where Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter got married, is located at 68900 Frank Sinatra Drive in Rancho Mirage. You can visit the resort’s official website here.

June 18, 2014June 18, 2014

Hotel Erwin from “Cougar Town”

I have never been a big fan of Venice Beach, but during my weeklong birthday celebration in L.A. my pals Lavonna, Kim, Katie, and Kaylee wanted to do some shopping, so I suggested hitting up Abbot Kinney Boulevard. While there, Lavonna asked if I had any stalking to do in the area and a light bulb went on in my head. I had long wanted to visit Hotel Erwin, where the Cul-de-Sac Crew stayed in the Season 4 episode of Cougar Town titled “Have Love Will Travel.” Because I typically avoid Venice like the plague, though, I had yet to do so. So the five of us headed right on over there. (That’s Katie and Kaylee, Kim’s daughter and Lavonna’s niece, respectively, in the photo above.)

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Since Angelinos tend to be much friendlier toward tourists than locals (at least when it comes to stalking), I always utilize Lavonna’s thick Southern accent whenever stalking with her. (She jokes that I just use her for her voice. Winking smile ) This particular venture was no exception. The area of Hotel Erwin that I most wanted to see was its rooftop lounge, High, which was featured in several scenes on Cougar Town, so I promptly sent Lavonna to the front desk to inquire if we could go up there and snap some photos. Upon drawling to the concierge, “Y’all got a rooftop bar?”, Lavonna was informed that the lounge was closed, but that we were more than welcome to head up there to check it out and take pictures. (See, that accent works every time!) So we did just that. And, let me tell you, the place is nothing short of spectacular.

High Rooftop Lounge is absolutely HUGE, encompassing the entire roof of the Erwin.

Glass walls surround the premises, allowing for stunning beach and city views from pretty much every seat.

I mean, check out that scenery! Uh-ma-zing!

Hotel Erwin, which was built in 1967, originally housed the Best Western Marina Pacific Hotel. In 2008, the Joie de Vivre Group took over management of the site and cut its name to the “Marina Pacific Hotel.” A short five months later, management changed once again and an extensive, multimillion-dollar renovation project was begun, during which time an entire floor of ocean-view suites and new rooftop were added to the property. You can check out a photograph of what the structure looked like as the Best Western here. As you can see, the hotel lacked a fifth floor and rooftop lounge at the time and looked quite a bit different than it does in comparison to the pictures below. The site was re-dedicated as the Hotel Erwin, named in honor of owner Erwin Sokol, in mid-2009.

In the “Have Love Will Travel” episode of Cougar Town, which was the Season 4 finale and one of my favorite episodes of the entire series, Jules Cobb (Courteney Cox) and the gang headed to Los Angeles for a short vacation. While there, they stayed at Hotel Erwin. Quite a few areas of the 119-room property were shown in the episode, including High Rooftop Lounge, where the Cul-de-Sac Crew regularly hung out.

A night scene also took place at High. As you can see in the screen captures below, the bar’s views are even gorgeous after the sun sets. Oh, Grim Cheaper, I sense a field trip to Venice on the horizon! Winking smile

Hotel Erwin’s front entrance was also utilized in the episode.

It was dressed quite a bit differently for the shoot. In real life, there is no furniture or concierge desk in that area.

The entrance does feature a little outdoor lounge, though.

The exterior of Hotel Erwin was also briefly visible in the scene in which Travis Cobb (Dan Byrd) and Laurie Keller (Busy Phillips) discussed the fact that fate seemed to be against them being together.

The interiors of the rooms where the gang stayed in the episode were sets and not actual Hotel Erwin rooms. Photographs of the property’s real life accommodations can be viewed here. As you can see, they do not match up to what appeared onscreen.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Hotel Erwin, from the “Have Love Will Travel” episode of Cougar Town, is located at 1697 Pacific Avenue in Venice Beach. You can visit the property’s official website here. High Rooftop Lounge is open daily, starting at 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.