The legendary Hotel Bel-Air – keeper of a host of Hollywood icons’ secrets, from Marilyn Monroe to Grace Kelly
If the walls of this iconic and luxurious Los Angeles hotel could talk, they’d have plenty of jaw-dropping tales to share about Hollywood’s biggest stars.
When blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe swept into Hotel Bel-Air on a balmy afternoon in late June of 1962, she was five hours late for her shoot with legendary photographer Bert Stern.
As history has attested to, Marilyn was rarely on time but most were more than happy to wait for Hollywood’s most bankable actress. Stern was no different.
The pair worked for 12 hours in various locations across the sprawling 12 acre estate, and again over two subsequent days, delivering a staggering 2571 portraits.
Marilyn’s shoot for Vogue magazine would ultimately be her last. She died just six weeks later of a drug overdose at her home in Brentwood, a stone’s throw away.
“When you look at the pictures of the beautiful and dashing icon, all you see is her full of life with a radiant glow,” Hotel Bel-Air general manager Christoph Moje told news.com.au.
“It’s still hard to believe that her untimely death was so imminent.”
From the very beginning of her career to the height of her fame, and even for an extended stint as a resident, Marilyn was a regular at the property, its high walls and thick trees and shrubbery offering privacy and discretion in a town where escaping attention was otherwise impossible.
A long list of other icons of Hollywood’s Golden Age made Hotel Bel-Air their personal hideaways too, including silver screen icon Grace Kelly.
“She did love this hotel and stayed here frequently during her movie-star days,” Mr Moje said.
“In fact, she slept here the night she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1955 and often returned once she had become Princess Grace of Monaco.”
As a tribute to “one of our most beloved guests”, Hotel Bel-Air created the Grace Kelly Suite to honour her enduring beauty and style.
Legend has it another frequent guest, Frank Sinatra, would wander into wedding receptions held on the hotel grounds to deliver an impromptu serenade of shell-shocked happy couples.
Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant were regulars too.
Hotel Bel-Air is steeped in Hollywood history, “where notables have come for anything other than to ‘be seen’,” Mr Moje said.
But its modern luxury and prestige continues to lure in entertainment’s biggest names to this day, he said, adding: “Naturally, I can’t name them.”
“It remains equally enticing to today’s Hollywood style-makers and stars as it was when it first opened.”
When news.com.au checks in for a brief stay, workers are busily but quietly setting up for a wedding ceremony on the lawn overlooking a tranquil lake, home to a trio of swans, Chloe, Athena, and Odette.
The winding walk to the ultra-plush bungalow that will be home for the next two days passes a bustling bar, an alfresco restaurant, outdoor pool – a favourite relaxation spot for Marilyn, the bell hop notes – and a spa and fitness centre.
Elsewhere on the property is a sprawling ballroom – the go-to space for cashed-up couples to celebrate their nuptials and for major brands from Montblanc to Jimmy Choo to throw parties.
During the journey, which takes in various pieces of specially commissioned outdoor artworks, the only sounds to be heard are those of happy and chatting guests, chirping birds, and trees gently rustling in the breeze.
It’s easy to forget that beyond the manicured grounds and discretion-ensuring perimeter walls, is one of the world’s busiest cities.
Mr Moje describes it as a rare “paradise” in Los Angeles.
“It embodies the ‘other LA’ away from the hustle and bustle of the city and untouched by the clamour of life beyond the gates of Bel-Air,” he said.
“It is authentic and provides our guests with a soothing experience designed for peace of mind and moments of calm, all wrapped up in the most luxurious of hotel stays.”
There are no shortages of five-star hotels across Los Angeles. On the final night in Bel Air, news.com.au will visit two of them in neighbouring Beverly Hills – one for dinner and another for one-too-many drinks.
They’re up-market and very special properties, to be sure, but they don’t compare to Hotel Bel-Air. Perhaps it’s simply incomparable and in a league of its own.
“But Hotel Bel-Air’s heritage-driven allure cannot be duplicated,” Mr Moje noted.
“As part of Dorchester Collection, it offers a level of product and service excellence that today’s luxury traveller demands, all wrapped up in a storybook setting that has welcomed guests since 1946 and remains a beloved part of the Bel-Air community.”
Even with a number of renovations, extensions and style updates over the years, the hotel has retained its heritage and the unique charm of a bygone era.
From its Spanish Colonial-style architecture and muted pink exterior to an abundance of palm trees, a stay at Hotel Bel-Air is like stepping back in time to visit the unique glamour, charm and decadence of 1940s Hollywood.
And while the times have changed, that determination to offer privacy to all endures – even for a tipsy foreign journalist in search of a cheeseburger at 2am.
The journalist travelled to Los Angeles as a guest of Qantas and Hotel Bel-Air
Iconic Melbourne venue’s transformation
It was one of Melbourne’s most popular nightspots for decades and now looks nothing like its former self.
Aussie mates’ $2 million gamble pays off
When two mates saw a gap in the fitness market, they pounced on the opportunity, risking their life-savings to make it happen.
Insane $2 billion ‘goliath mega yacht’
It’s a mega yacht unlike any other with the $2 billion vessel boasting its own submarine and five-star amenities like a beach club.