BROOMFIELD, Colorado—They may not get to collect the coveted Oscar or walk the red carpet, but hotels have had a long history in filmmaking. With the Hollywood awards season upon us, STR Analytics decided to investigate the roles hotels have played in cinema over the years.
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Hotels are key elements of a movie plot—they not only provide a ready-made set, but they also provide a relatable point-of-entry for audiences. (STR Analytics is sister company of Hotel News Now.)
Hotels often “play themselves” in movies when they are a key component in the film. Some obvious examples include the Bellagio in “Ocean’s 11” or Caesars Palace in “The Hangover.” Numerous hotels had roles in movies where characters traveled to different cities, such as “Up in the Air,” “No Country for Old Men” and “The Bourne Identity.” Of course, almost every single James Bond film features at least one hotel location.
In other cases, the hotels step out of character and “act” as something else. The Marriott Marquis Atlanta was shot as part of the training facility in “The Hunger Games” (anyone who’s seen the film might recognize the elevators). Bruce Wayne’s bachelor pad in “The Dark Knight” was the Penthouse Ballroom of the Wyndham Grand Chicago.
Ironically, “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which has been nominated for both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Picture, is not filmed in a hotel at all. The location is actually an abandoned department store in Görlitz, Germany. Apparently, there weren’t any real hotels that fit the role.
A few hotels have had multiple roles over the years. Properties close to the studios in Hollywood definitely have a locational advantage. The Beverly Hills Hotel, Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles and the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites Los Angeles each have been used in more than a dozen major films. On the East Coast, The Plaza Hotel in New York is by far the most filmed hotel outside of the Los Angeles area.
Hotels are somewhat unsung heroes in movies. They are only noted near the end of the credits in most cases, and most are definitely not part of the award ceremonies. However, nine recipients of the Academy Award for Best Picture, including the winners in each of the past two years, have featured scenes in hotels. For the three-year period from 1971 through 1973, the Best Picture winners had scenes that were shot in prominent hotels.
Approximately half of the films that shoot scenes in hotels are dramas, with comedies accounting for another 27% of the films.
Not surprisingly, luxury hotels dominate the movie industry, comprising 60% of the hotels shown in film. Upper-upscale properties account for nearly a quarter of hotel locations. The lower-end segments account for only a small portion, but many of those roles are in prominent films. Just look at the Regal Motel in “No Country for Old Men” or the Hitching Post Motel in “Fargo.”
We have found more than 250 hotels around the globe that have been featured in films throughout the years. Check out the interactive map below to look for these hotels and the actors that co-starred alongside them. Yes, you can find out where Tom Hanks had his “Bachelor Party” and where the Ghostbusters got slimed.
And if you want to see whether any of these Silver Screen hotels also have a ghost or two roaming the halls, check out our last STR Analytics interactive map of haunted hotels in the U.S.
Correction, 19 February 2015: An earlier version of this story stated “No Country for Old Men” was filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has been updated to show the movie was filmed in Las Vegas, New Mexico.