Everyone is at the Chateau

At various points in its near-hundred-year history, Los Angeles’s Chateau Marmont has been a hip celebrity hangout. It had one of its many revival periods in the 90s when the Gen Xers liked hanging out there—some loyalists, like Keanu Reeves, are still frequent visitors. But then it kind of fell out favor in the 2000s, as the young Hollywood crowd of that era favored hot spots around West Hollywood or Hollywood & Vine (not for nothing, those locations were always way more exposed and easier to photograph people coming and going than at the Chateau, with its narrow, curvy hillside roads).

But the Chateau never really goes out of style, even when various interior design decisions made in the 2010s sucked a lot of the historical character and charm out of the place, or a three-year labor strike and boycott drastically reduced the guests in residence. Now, with the strike over, the Chateau is booming, as this week falls between two televised award shows, which means all the out-of-towners need a place to stay.

Popping in and out of the Chateau we have Golden Globes nominees Jacob Elordi (fresh off his Critics Choice win) and his beautiful dog, Layla; Walton Goggins; Tessa Thompson; Amanda Seyfried; and Keri Russell. They’re joined by Alexander Skarsgård, who is not nominated, but whose father, Stellan, is, and Lily Allen, who is preparing to launch her West End Girl tour from Chicago in April.

The Chateau famously allows no photographs and strongly discourages normies from approaching/bothering celebrities, a big reason it never really falls off the celebrity scene, even in those times when it’s not the hottest spot in town. But it also has more competition these days from private, members-only clubs that follow the same rules, like Soho House, San Vicente Bungalows, and Bird Streets Club, which is a favorite spot for the Biebers.

Still, if you want history and celebrity history, in particular, the Chateau Marmont is the place to be. This crop of Notably Famous People all staying there this week makes me wonder if the Chateau is rebounding a bit, perhaps coming back into top-tier fashion. There are other hotels closer to the Beverly Hilton, where the Golden Globes are held, than the Chateau (though nothing is close to Barker Hanger, where the Critics Choice Awards are held), but a whole host of people are gathered at the Chateau this week anyway. Perhaps we’re in for another Chateau Marmont renaissance. They swing around every 20 years or so, it’s time.

If you’re interested in the history of the Chateau Marmont, I strongly recommend Shawn Levy’s book, The Castle on Sunset, which details the hotel’s history, including its roots in 20^th century celebrity culture. A must for gossip historians!