There’s something glamorous about staying in a hotel, as if by simply taking residence you attain that elusive status normally reserved for stars. Or maybe it’s just ingrained in our psyche. After all, hotels do tend to show up in a lot of movies — New York hotels most frequently of all. Hollywood has made a habit of giving our hotels leading roles. Here’s a list of film-favorite hotels to help make your stay in New York a bit more cinematic.
The Plaza
768 Fifth Ave. New York, NY 10019
Located on the edge of Central Park, the century-old Plaza is a New York icon, the type of stately and grand building that’s as much a part of cinematic history as it is the city’s. The hotel recently underwent a $450 million renovation, with fully refurbished interiors and exteriors that honor the spirit of the classic. The legendary building has provided the backdrop for some truly memorable New York-centric movies over the years.
Favorite Movie Appearances:
Macaulay Culkin in front of the Plaza in
‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’
(20th Century Fox/PhotoFest)
In Crocodile Dundee, Australian bushman Mike Dundee (Paul Hogan) is baffled by every amenity The Plaza offers. In a classic scene, Hogan sticks his foot into the bidet wondering why there’s two “dunnys” in his bathroom. Hogan’s portrayal of a confused Aussie was so popular that for months after the movie premiered, guests called to request the room where Mick Dundee stayed. Even if his room isn’t available, we wouldn’t blame you if you took to shouting “Crikey!” whenever possible.
In the final scene of The Way We Were, Katie (Barbara Streisand) and Hubbell (Robert Redford) meet in front of The Plaza, where Katie’s famous words “your girl is lovely, Hubbell,” are later echoed by Carrie in an episode of Sex and the City. The Plaza also appears in the Hitchcock thriller, North by Northwest, where in a case of mistaken identity, advertising executive Thornhill (Cary Grant) is abducted from his Plaza hotel room. And then, of course, it was home base for Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Other film appearances: Almost Famous, Arthur, The Associate, Bride Wars, It Could Happen to You, Sleepless in Seattle, Scent of a Woman, Brewster’s Millions, Funny Girl.
The Waldorf Astoria
301 Park Ave. New York, NY 10022
Since its Park Avenue location opened in 1931, the Waldorf-Astoria has been one of the most popular New York film locations; beginning in 1945 with Weekend at the Waldorf (starring Ginger Rogers and Lana Turner), over 20 films and television shows have been filmed there. It’s also a favorite residence for both movie stars and Presidents. Marilyn Monroe sublet a suite on the 27th floor, and John and Jackie Kennedy spent the first night of their honeymoon in the Waldorf Towers. The hotel’s spa, the Guerlain Spa, offers guests the opportunity to be pampered like stars with “Red Carpet” spa treatments.
Favorite Movie Appearances:
The famous Scent of a Woman tango at the Waldorf (Universal Pictures/Photo Fest)
In one of the most memorable scenes from Scent of a Woman, Al Pacino dances the tango with a much younger woman in the hotel’s private event space, The Vanderbilt Room. Pacino won an Oscar for his performance as a blind and irritable retired army officer, and the scene cemented The Waldorf-Astoria in the annals of cinematic history.
The ensemble dramedy Weekend at the Waldorf, led by Ginger Rogers, follows the routines of several hotel guests during their stay. And in Coming to America, Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is confined to the hotel’s Royal Suite, where he is given a royal bath by the King’s Nubian attendants who declare (straight-faced) “the royal penis is clean, your Highness.”
Other film appearances: The-Out-of-Towners, Maid in Manhattan, Serendipity, Random Hearts, Analyze This, For Love of the Game, The Royal Tenenbaums, Two Weeks’ Notice, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Adjustment Bureau
The St. Regis New York
2 East 55th St. New York, NY 10022
Built in 1904, the St. Regis Hotel is regarded as one of the finest hotels in the world. In addition to its countless hospitality awards and a long history of famous residents (Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio had a notoriously loud fight there), the St. Regis is home to the King Cole Bar, which is credited with inventing America’s favorite brunch drink, the Bloody Mary.
Favorite Movie Appearances:
Pacino and Keaton at the St. Regis in The Godfather (Paramount Pictures/Photofest)
In the justice-against-your-ex flick, The First Wives Club, actress Elise (Goldie Hawn) sits at the King Cole Bar and sobs into her cocktail. She’s been passed up for a leading role and considered instead for the role of that character’s mother. Though we hope you’re never faced with such horror, the King Cole Bar would be a great place to drink your sorrows away.
The St. Regis appears twice in The Godfather: First, as the hotel where Michael (Al Pacino) and Kay (Diane Keaton) spend their night in New York, and later where Clemenza (Richard Castellano) guns down Don Stracci (Don Castello) and his associate in an elevator.
In a much less dramatic scene in The Devil Wears Prada, Andrea (Anne Hathway) meets potential love interest Christian (Simon Baker) at the King Cole Bar to pick up a copy of the unreleased Harry Potter book.
Other film appearances: Miss Congeniality, Taxi Driver
The Carlyle
5 East 76th St. New York, NY 10021
The Carlyle, located on the Upper East Side with views of Central Park, has a rich and presidential history. It was called the “New York White House” because of John F. Kennedy’s long-standing affinity for staying there. According to legend, Kennedy used the Carlyle’s network of underground tunnels to discreetly enter and exit the hotel unnoticed.
Woody Allen and the cast of Hollywood Ending at the Carlyle (K Mazur/WireImage)
It’s also where Woody Allen, a frequent Carlyle guest, has filmed two of his movies. In Hollywood Ending, Woody meets with his ex-wife (Tea Leoni) for a drink at the Carlyle’s famous Bemelman’s bar (named for Madeline author Ludwig Bemelman, who painted its walls in exchange for a year and a half of accommodations).
In Hannah and her Sisters, Mickey Sachs (played by Allen) takes his date (Dianne Wiest) to hear jazz performer Bobby Short perform at Café Carlyle. In real life, the director plays clarinet with The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band on Monday evenings at Café Carlyle.
And in Meet Joe Black, Anthony Hopkins lives in a penthouse atop the Carlyle, though the hotel is never explicitly named in the film.
Other film appearances: Reversal of Fortune
The Chelsea Hotel
222 West 23rd St. New York, NY 10011
A favorite of Andy Warhol, Hotel Chelsea has an eclectic and storied past. Built in 1885, it was the tallest building in New York for two decades and became a historic landmark in 1966. It’s been home to an enviable roster of musicians, writers, artists and actors including Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Allen Ginsberg, Mark Twain, Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. Now known as Hotel Chelsea, the building closed for renovations in 2011 and is expected to reopen in September 2014. In the meantime, it’s worth taking in the famous facade on 23rd St.
Favorite Movie Appearances:
Andy Warhol at the Chelsea Hotel
(Santi Visalli Inc/Getty Images)
Andy Warhol’s Chelsea Girls memorializes the Chelsea as a haven for writers and artists. The film follows the life of several “residents” of The Chelsea (only poet Rene Ricard actually lived there at the time), employing a split-screen treatment for lighter and darker scenes. Though the effect was unsettling, the film was well-received and became Warhol’s first commercial success.
In Natalie Portman’s first film, Leon (aka The Professional) the Chelsea Hotel is the setting for the interior shots of Leon (Jean Reno) and Mathilda’s (Portman) apartment building. The 1986 film Sid and Nancy was also filmed at the hotel and is the real-life location where Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols allegedly killed girlfriend Nancy Spungeon.
Other film appearances: 9 ½ Weeks, Party Monster, The Interpreter
The Roosevelt Hotel
45 East 45th St. New York, NY 10017
Built during the roaring 20s and named for a President (Theodore), The Roosevelt Hotel is a monument to prohibition-era America. It’s located near Grand Central station, and at one time underground tunnels connected the two institutions. The hotel has played host to aristocrats and celebrities and, of course, some unforgettable movie sets.
Favorite Movie Appearances:
Michael Douglas in ‘Wall Street” delivering his
climactic speech in the Roosevelt Hotel’s ballroom
(20th Century Fox/PhotoFest)
The Roosevelt Hotel’s Grand Ballroom is the backdrop to Gordon Gekko’s classic “Greed is Good” speech in Wall Street. Michael Douglas won an academy award for his performance, thanks in no small part to this rousing monologue expounding on the problems facing the private sector. If you’ve always fantasized about delivering a passionate public speech to a room full of investors, a stay at The Roosevelt might be the perfect place to indulge your inner Gordon Gekko.
Detective Russo (Roy Scheider) first bumps into drug lord Frog One (Fernando Rey) outside The Roosevelt in the first R-rated movie to win an academy award, The French Connection.
And more recently, the hotel played a central role in Man on a Ledge, in which Sam Worthington stands on the Roosevelt’s ledge 200 feet above the street to create a diversion during a jewel heist.
Other film appearances: Quiz Show, Boiler Room, Man on a Ledge, The Dictator, 1408, Malcolm X, Men in Black 3
