Jeryl Brunner
The year was 1934, and Frank Capra was under deadline. The famous director and screenwriter had to turn a short story called Night Bus into a movie. So he holed up at a suite in La Quinta hotel, a Hollywood hideaway in the desert at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The result: It Happened One Night, which ultimately won a bevy of Oscars (including Best Picture and a directing nod for Capra). To continue his lucky streak, he came back to the hotel to work on scripts including It's a Wonderful Life, You Can't Take it With You and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Cut to 2006. Although Mr. Capra is gone, his typewriter and desk still remain in his former room, now named the Capra Suite. The ideal place for scribes with writer's block or Capra fans (members of his family sometimes stay there), the room contains a script and DVD of It Happened One Night for further inspiration...
The year was 1934, and Frank Capra was under deadline. The famous director and screenwriter had to turn a short story called Night Bus into a movie. So he holed up at a suite in La Quinta hotel, a Hollywood hideaway in the desert at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The result: It Happened One Night, which ultimately won a bevy of Oscars (including Best Picture and a directing nod for Capra). To continue his lucky streak, he came back to the hotel to work on scripts including It's a Wonderful Life, You Can't Take it With You and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Cut to 2006. Although Mr. Capra is gone, his typewriter and desk still remain in his former room, now named the Capra Suite. The ideal place for scribes with writer's block or Capra fans (members of his family sometimes stay there), the room contains a script and DVD of It Happened One Night for further inspiration...
Jeryl Brunner The year was 1934, and Frank Capra was under deadline. The famous director and screenwriter had to turn a short story called Night Bus into ... more
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1
The Presidential Suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York
President Herbert Hoover, a resident at the Waldorf Towers for over three decades, was the first president to stay at the famed four-bedroom suite, which was first decorated with colonial-style furnishings. In 1969, it was refashioned to conjure the décor of the White House. Monogrammed towels are even placed in the master bathroom whenever the president or first lady is in residence. In fact, in 1931, when the Waldorf debuted, President Hoover delivered his well wishes via live radio from the White House cabinet room. "The opening of the new Waldorf Astoria is an event in the advancement of hotels, even in New York City," he declared.
Suites range from $3,000 to $10,000 in the Waldorf Towers (in the Waldorf Astoria, room rates begin at $349). For more information, visit www.waldorf.com.
2
The John Lennon Suite at Alexis Hotel, Seattle
Although John Lennon never set foot in the hotel, a suite was named in his honor. "Life becomes a work of art when you enter the Alexis, as we celebrate art in all its facets," explains general manager Andrew Wright. In 1997, after the hotel hosted the John Lennon exhibit containing his artwork, the John Lennon Suite was created. In the one-bedroom suite are five of Lennon's limited number lithographs of his sketches, including ones of him and Yoko, along with hand written lyrics. Above the fireplace is the lithograph sketch of Lennon and Ono during their bed-in for peace. You can even sleep under the hand written lyrics of Imagine. The hotel also offers a Miles Davis Suite with numbered lithographs of the jazz master's vibrant and colorful artwork.
Suite rates range from $360 to $479. For more information, visit alexishotel.com.
3
The Andy Warhol room at the Heathman Hotel, Portland, Ore.
"The Heathman has had a longstanding commitment to the arts," offers Stephen Galvan, the hotel's director of sales and marketing. "From supporting a variety of local arts groups (including the Oregon Symphony, Literary Arts, Oregon Ballet, Portland Art Museum) to incorporating the work of local artists into every guestroom." In fact, the hotel owns nine Andy Warhol lithographs (however, Warhol never visited). In 2000, it seemed natural to showcase the art and create a specific Andy Warhol room. "It was a wonderful way to give guests an up-close-and-personal way to experience the work of this great American artist," explains Galvan. "We wanted to make these original Warhol lithographs accessible." A virtual shine to the pop artist, on display is an original lithograph from the Endangered Species Series. The color and general design of the room were inspired by the original print centering on the tree frog. "We took it a step further and made sure that certain Andy Warhol elements were added," notes Galvan. So to complete the look is a purple S-shaped couch, shag carpet and brightly painted purple, green and red walls. A collection of Warhol films, books, two large print reproductions, black and white photos of the artist and a white Warhol-style wig and feather boa also enhance the experience.
Suite rates range from $285 to $1,500. For more information, visit www.heathmanhotel.com.
4
The Ralph Waldo Emerson Room at Emerson Inn by the Sea, Cape Ann
During the 1850s, famed poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson made his summer retreat at the country inn, then called the Pigeon Cove house. In the 1960s, the hotel gained a new moniker in honor of its notable guest. The Ralph Waldo Emerson Room in which he stayed is adorned with his books, antiques from the turn of the century and photos of his family on a writing desk facing the ocean. "We felt that displaying family photos would give people the feeling that Emerson had just been there, perhaps allowing guests to connect with him personally," says hotel general manager Jennifer Messier. While other rooms in the hotel provide greater amenities or are larger, Emerson devotees always opt for his room. "One guest who is Emerson's distant relative says she feels a special closeness to him when she is in his room," says Messier. "She experiences a sense of calm, as if his influence is all around." And for an added bonus, Ralph Waldo Emerson's great-grandnephew works as a bellhop.
Room rates range from $159 to $359. For more information, visit www.emersonbythesea.com.
5
The Noel Coward Suite at the Algonquin Hotel, New York
Sir Noel Coward, the English playwright, actor and composer who wrote the classics Design for Living and Blithe Spirit, was said to have spent his first night in New York at the hotel in 1921 and became a frequent guest. So the Noel Coward suite was created in his honor. It was also a tribute to the Algonquin's beloved and devoted guests from the U.K., who have visited since legendary hotel's creation in 1902. Idyll among photos of Coward with the Queen Mother during his knighthood in 1970, sing to copies of his music, gaze at posters from Coward shows Private Lives and Sail Away and ogle at photographs of Coward on stage performing his works with Alfred Lunt, Lynne Fontanne and Gertrude Lawrence.
Rates range from $399 to $800. For more information, visit, www.algonquinhotel.com.
6
The George H.W. Bush Presidential Suite at Cheeca Lodge, Islamor
During the eighth anniversary of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Bone Fishing Tournament, the President inaugurated the ocean front two-bedroom suite. Among many items on display are a New England Patriots jersey and personal family photos, including one of President George H.W. Bush skydiving at age 50. The suite also has on display a rare photo of five living presidents at the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Library in 1991. (Attended by Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, it was the first time that five presidents gathered in the same place.) Cheeca Lodge held a special place in Bush's heart, as he first visited the resort when he was vice president elect.
Suite rates range from $159 to $1,897. For more information, visit www.cheeca.com.
7
The Gloria Vanderbilt and Pablo Casals suites at the Hotel El Co
A former Carmelite convent in the heart of historic Old San Juan, the El Convento has been a mecca for celebrities since opening in the early 1960s. Rita Hayworth, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Montgomery, George Hamilton and Ethel Merman were all regulars (now it's a favorite of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony). In fact, Gloria Vanderbilt came for the hotel's opening and stayed for three months, and decades later the designer continues to visit frequently and stay at the same two-bedroom suite named in her honor. Overlooking the San Juan Bay, it offers glorious views of the city. Devoted guest Pablo Casals could be heard playing his cello in the El Convento's courtyard. Now photos of the famed musician adorn the one-bedroom suite dedicated to his namesake. Its French doors open to Cristo Street and expose views of San Juan Cathedral, built during the 16th century. Why are the rooms so popular? Hotel spokesperson Della Smith is convinced that people feel that "if Gloria Vanderbilt and Pablo Casals can make these rooms their home away from home, so can I."
Suite rates range from $850 to $1,600. For more information, visit www.elconvento.com.
8
The William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Suite at Sandals Gran
In January 2003, President Bill Clinton visited St. Lucia to create awareness of his foundation's HIV/AIDS initiatives around the world and pledge its support to the people of the Eastern Caribbean. He stayed one night at Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort, which hosted a gala dinner where the president spoke. During the event, Clinton talked about the compassion and generosity of everyone he met at the property and even chided his staff for not allowing him to spend more time there. It would be hard for anyone to leave the two-story, 3,000 square foot, two-bedroom suite, which contains a double-sized balcony with stellar views of the ocean and Rodney Bay. You can even see the island of Martinique from the deck of the master bedroom, and there's a butler who can tend to your every whim. "It's one thing to have a presidential suite, it is quite another to have the pleasure of hosting an American president, as we did," offers Gordon "Butch" Stewart, chairman of Sandals and Beaches Resorts, who asked the president if they could name the suite after him. "Our decision was based on Mr. Clinton's commitment to serving the people who live in the communities where we operate; something that's been a way of life at Sandals ever since we started over 25 years ago. President Clinton demonstrated this commitment, and we wished to honor him and his good work."
Suite rates range from $525 to $1,275. For more information, visit www.sandals.com.
9
The U.S. Grant, San Diego
Opened in 1910 by Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., to honor his Civil War hero father, the landmark hotel underwent a $52 million renovation and reopened in October 2006. Containing nearly 20 different kinds of stone and marble, 22 foot high ceilings and silk carpet from Thailand, the hotel has hosted over 13 U.S. presidents, and Charles Lindbergh stayed there before his historic New York to Paris flight (his plane, The Spirit of St. Louis, was built in San Diego). The hotel almost serves as a monument to the Grant family, displaying dozens of family photographs going back to the Civil War period. Also on exhibit is a portrait of President Grant commissioned by his son, along with the president's cigars and his signed original memoirs, published by Mark Twain. Why was it so important to preserve the hotel's history? "It anchors the hotel in people's minds and puts it in a period of history for people--it gives people a window into its building," says Joan Seifried, the U.S. Grant's historian and appraiser. In fact, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation purchased the hotel in 2003, and their ownership represents an ancestral tribute to their legacy. In 1875, President Grant passed an executive order to set aside 640 acres of land in San Diego Country for the tribe and granted them sovereignty.
Suite rates range from $649 to $3,500. For more information, visit www.luxurycollection.com/usgrant.
10
The Saxon Hotel, Sandhurst, a suburb Johannesburg, South Africa
Nelson Mandela edited his memoirs at the Saxon for six months after he was released from prison (it was a private home at the time). When the property became a hotel in 2000, the 3,767 square foot wing that he occupied was converted into the Mandela Platinum Suite, containing two bedrooms, a reception area, lounge, dining room, private glass-enclosed elevator and butler's kitchen with a butler at your disposal. Nelson Mandela is still a regular visitor to the hotel and stays in the suite. President Clinton, Beyonce and Charlize Theron are all fans of the 24-room ultraprivate resort, where wine racks replace the typical minibars and spectacular African art adorns all the rooms. In fact, Oprah Winfrey is taking over the property this Christmas. Don't miss four drawings of Mandela that Saxon owner Douw Steyn commissioned from artist Dean Simon. They depict various stages and people in Mandela's life and are displayed throughout.
The rates range from $620 to $2,320. For more information, visit www.thesaxon.com.
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