The Star: March 16, 2017

30 Thursday March 16 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
The Star
Travel
Relive the memories of your favourite
• By Mike Yardley
HOT ON the heels of awards
season for Hollywood, movieinspired
travel remains a
booming travel trend.
Glittery celebrity power and
big-screen blockbusters have
propelled a slew of hotels into
the spotlight over the years. But a
handful of hotels, sprinkled with
Hollywood stardust, continue to
command a magnetic pull with
travellers.
They may have first caught the
eye of Tinsel Town movie-makers,
but they remain the object of
enduring starry-eyed affection
for travellers. From old-school
classics and Christmas flicks
to blood-curdling horrors and
sloppy rom-coms, these hotels
are virtual shrines of cinematic
history.
First stop, The Plaza in New
York, lording over Central Park.
Now under the Fairmont banner,
and a Big Apple high society
beacon for over a century, The
Plaza’s cinematic pedigree runs
deep, having featured in dozens of
movies.
Most recently, The Great Gatsby
and most famously, Home Alone
2, where Kevin lives it up courtesy
of his father’s credit card.
If this Fifth Ave pleasure pad
HISTORIC: New York’s The Plaza has been a high society beacon for over a century. (Right) – The Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire
made famous by Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.
is beyond your pay grade for an
overnighter, plump for afternoon
tea in the hotel’s Palm Court. A
revered New York ritual for over
a century.
If you find yourself in Oregon,
make a date with the horror hotel
in Stephen King’s classic chiller,
The Shining. Overlook Hotel, as
depicted in the 1980 film, is in
fact the ski resort of Timberline
Lodge.
Fans flock to stay in Room 217,
the most haunted room of all
according to the storyline, and
the hotel library will happily lend
you a copy of the movie, for your
viewing pleasure.
Since it burst onto the bigscreen
five years ago, the Best
Exotic Marigold Hotel has been
a bonanza for tourism growth to
Rajasthan. I only recently discovered
that the property depicted in
the movie, is in fact a real hotel,
namely the Ravla Khempur, a
17th-century former palace in
Udaipur.
Fawned over by film aficionados,
the hotel also set-jetter
tours of the movie’s key locations
around the hotel and city.
On a similar note, the awardwinning
Lost in Translation has
seen the Park Hyatt Tokyo remain
one of the most popular hotels for
a city stay.
Pop up to the top-level New
York Bar & Grill (which featured
in the movie) and order up their
signature drink, an LIT cocktail.
When it comes to rom-coms,
the hotel queen would have to
be the Four Seasons Beverly
Wilshire. Overlooking fashionable
Rodeo Drive, a dream spot
to toast your day’s discoveries,
is to enjoy a cheeky cocktail at
The Blvd Restaurant and Lounge,
at the hotel made famous by
Richard Gere and Julia Roberts
in Pretty Woman. The legacy lives
on with the signature cocktail list
headlined by The Gentleman and
Pretty Woman.
Legendary Hollywood experiences
don’t get more starry-eyed
than a sojourn at the Beverly Hills
Hotel. Just think of the primping
and preening that goes on here,
during Oscars season. The “Pink
Palace” is still at the top of her
game, retaining her charismatic
pull with the Hollywood crowd.
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