Tinseltown is at its buzziest during awards season when each and every star truly comes out to play. If you’re invited to the red carpet galas and can get behind the velvet rope, kudos! If you can’t, you can still expect to see the A-list out and about at these five celeb beloved hot spots.
Photo Credit: Nikolas KoenigThe place to stay, play, see and be seen is really West Hollywood’s legendary haunt, Chateau Marmont. Andre Balazs’ castle-like property towers imperiously over Sunset Boulevard, just awaiting the shenanigans that will inevitably take place inside. The hotel, which opened in1927, has hosted the creme de la creme of Hollywood elite, from James Dean and Natalie Wood, who first met here during a script rehearsal of Rebel Without a Cause, to The Doors’ Jim Morrison, who hurt his back here while dangling from a drain pipe trying to swing from the roof into the window of his hotel room. Modern day stars like Robert Pattinson, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Usher, Salma Hayek and Julia Roberts can frequently be found here having lunch or dinner on its palm-tree dotted patio, while those with a late night in mind are typically found in the tony Bar Marmont or renting out of the super-private bungalows.
8221 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood
(323) 656-1010
Never mind that the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is the home of one of the season’s trendiest gifting lounges (HBO’s Luxury Lounge): you’ll be hard-pressed not to see some star or another returning here from a long day of mingling, meetings, and events. Why? This is a super-luxe hotel at its best. It’s elegant, centrally located but still far enough away for privacy, and it has one of the best brunches in the city. Although you may not spy many female stars here on the morning of the Globes (they do have designer dresses to fit into, mind), you will see a plethora of A-list actors indulging in the awe-inspiring gourmet brunch at Culina, Modern Italian come Jan. 11 (we’ve spotted the likes of Morgan Freeman and Mark Wahlberg there in the past)
300 South Doheny Drive, Los Angeles
(310) 273-2222
The Pink Palace—a.k.a. The Beverly Hills Hotel—is the home of the Polo Lounge, a swank eatery where stars go for a relaxing outdoor lunch, or, conversely, a stiff martini, during awards season. This hotel, located at the north end of Rodeo Drive on Sunset Boulevard—has as storied celeb history since it opened its doors in 1912. It is where eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes would reserve up to 25 rooms at a time, where Elizabeth Taylor honeymooned and where John Lennon and Yoko Ono vacationed back in the day. The Polo Lounge itself is famous, thanks to its privacy, extensive (and healthy) menu, including the frequently ordered McCarthy Salad (named after the polo-playing millionaire). It received its name because Will Rogers and his famous friends like Spencer Tracy and Douglas Fairbanks used to play weekend polo games at the former’s home above Sunset, and would eat, drink, and be merry in the hotel lounge afterwards. Today, you’ll be hard-pressed to go at lunch or happy hour and not encounter a famous face.
9641 Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills
(310) 276-2251
Photo Credit: Andrea Bricco
Wolfgang Puck’s upscale Beverly Hills eatery, Spago, is a must for Hollywood’s power players and A-list stars alike. While bigger parties (think a dinner honoring a nominated film) may be on lockdown in the private dining room, many stars will sit in the regular dining room, albeit in a carefully chosen seat. Given that Spago is one of the most famous restaurants in the world, it should come as a surprise to no one that everyone from Sophia Loren and Jack Nicholson to Oprah Winfrey and Clint Eastwood has been spotted here dining on Puck’s California meets Asian and Italian cuisine.
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills
(310) 385-0880
Photo Credit: Sunset Tower Hotel
The Sunset Tower Hotel rose to fame in the ’30s and ’40s as a landmark on the Sunset Strip. Celebrities actually lived here, such as John Wayne, Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Buss, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Caine, Quincy Jones, Roger Moore and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Today, it’s Tower Bar is an uber-private spot ruled by the indomitable Dimitri Dimitrov where you’ll find, on any given night, super-fan Jennifer Aniston, Sean Penn, Johnny Depp, or Katy Perry.
358 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles
(323) 654-7100
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