Great architecture, rich history and delicious gossip rendezvous at this venerable hotel, where the first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929. After a renovation, it briefly became the new millennium's poolside Hollywood hot spot as tabloid regulars were frequently spotted misbehaving at the pool bar.
Back in her day, glamazon Marilyn Monroe shot her first print ad (for suntan lotion) posing on the diving board of said pool, the bottom of which was later decorated with squiggles by artist David Hockney. And while we’re name-dropping: actor Montgomery Clift, who stayed in room 928 while filming From Here to Eternity , apparently never checked out; his ghost can still be heard playing the bugle.
