Surprisingly Los Angeles' most Hollywood-connected hotel is not where you'd expect. It's in downtown L.A. The Millennium Biltmore, which just celebrated its 86th anniversary, has entertained the movie world's most famous from Rudolph Valentino to Jamie Foxx and hosted the Academy Awards eight times in the 1930s and 1940s (1937's banquet is above). But more significantly, the hotel has long been a favorite of TV and film productions and has some serious credits.
The grand Rendezvous Court elicits a sense of déjà vu-you've been here before via countless TV shows, commercials and films. Because of its classic Beaux Arts architecture and gilded public spaces, the Biltmore easily plays vintage Manhattan (as in a recent Mad Men episode) or attracts the CSI:NY crew, and actor Gary Sinise. NBC's Heroes recently used the hotel's vast catering kitchen. NBC's Chuck and ABC's Castle TV series were also in the house during the busy summer production season. A small hallway off the lobby showcases the hotel's many historic photos-form the early Oscars to Cocoon, which famously includes the hotel's art-tiled indoor pool. Interested in learning more about the hotel's important place in L.A.'s cultural life? The Los Angeles Conservancy, Southern California's vital historic architecture preservation organization, conducts docent led tours of the hotel every Sunday at 2 p.m.
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