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.
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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.
All high-end hotels want to offer unique experiences, and the older establishments are capitalizing on the cachè of their famous past guests. Consider the Noel Coward Suite at the Algonquin Hotel, where the famed English playwright and actor reportedly spent his first night in New York.
Then there's the Marilyn Monroe Suite at Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where the actress often presided during 1950s. "When you stay in a hotel that has a true sense of place, a connection to history, it helps make your trip more memorable," says Mary Billingsley of Historic Hotels of America. "It enhances your journey, and the hotel becomes an integral part of your experience."
In some cases, the suite's namesake gets involved in choosing the decor. For years, when President George H.W. Bush went fishing in the Florida Keys, he stayed at luxurious beach resort Cheeca Lodge on mile marker 82.
In 2000, when executives at the resort asked if they could name the suite where he stayed in his honor, he sent 50 treasured possessions along with a detailed inventory. Among many items displayed is a framed piece of the Berlin wall, and a pair of cuff links that Charles Lindbergh's grandson gave to him.
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Members of the Ultimate Resort destination club (a hefty annual fee lets them stay in exclusive properties around the world) can stay at King Kong star Fay Wray's old apartment in Trump Tower. Appropriately located sky high on the 53rd floor, the room surrounds guests with Wray memorabilia, including posters and pictures.
The Saxon Hotel in South Africa has a suite named after Nelson Mandela and four drawings of the leader displayed in public areas. When he was released from prison, Mandela stayed at the Saxon for six months to work on his autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom.
And then there's the newly reopened U.S. Grant hotel. Originally built in 1910 by Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., to honor his father, the 18th US president, the hotel displays the president's artifacts, including autographed memoirs. "We like to engage guests about our history and tell them our story as part of their experience here," explains Mark Dibella, the U.S. Grant's director of sales and marketing. "There are lots of great hotels, but when there's no story behind the ambiance, it's just another hotel."
The granddaddy of legacy hotel suites is the four-bedroom Presidential Suite at the Waldorf Astoria, where every president since Herbert Hoover has stayed. President Kennedy donated his rocking chair, Jimmy Carter provided the eagle desk set, and the gold oval mirror and eagle-base table in the entrance were gifts from Ronald Reagan.
"People are in awe of sitting in the same chair as Bill Clinton," says Joel Freyberg, executive director for the Waldorf Towers. "This suite is truly a part of history."
We put together a collection of the most unique and notable celebrity legacy suites in the country. From the John Lennon Suite at the Alexa to the Andy Warhol Room at the Heathman, these are way more than just fancy hotel rooms; think of them as private museums with butler service.
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