The six best cinema hotels in the world
From Manhattan to Stockholm, hotels for film fans
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It’s fitting that this old cinema has been transformed into a stylish movie-themed hotel, located as it is in the city that hosts one of Europe’s biggest film festivals. Reminders of the building’s former life are everywhere: the library, situated behind sleek glass walls, houses an impressive book collection dedicated to the silver screen, and each bedroom is devoted to a different film personality, including Quentin Tarantino, Sean Penn and Meryl Streep . Most impressive is the suite, honouring Alfred Hitchcock. It comes with a projector and a screen, as well as a living-room packed with movie paraphernalia.
Familia Santua Kalea 1, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain (00 34 943 44 50 00; astoria7hotel.com). Doubles from €100, B&B.
Tribeca Grand Hotel, New York
As the name suggests, this boutique hotel is located in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighbourhood, where Robert De Niro co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002. The hotel’s cinema, with its leather seats and statement lighting, hosts private screenings plus free Sunday showings of cult films and popular TV programmes. The 201 rooms and suites are dressed in a mid-century modern style, while the Church Bar is the venue for weekly DJ sets and weekend jazz brunches.
2 Avenue of the Americas, New York, US (001 212 519 6600; tribecagrand.com). Doubles from £214 ($329), room only.
Mondrian, London
Set within the South Bank’s Sea Containers building, the Mondrian, which opened last September, not only offers fancy suites and a glitzy cocktail bar, but also its own nautical-themed cinema. The 56-seat cinema, run by Curzon, is open every weekend to guests and the public, showing new films as well as old favourites. Bedrooms are compact and functional with marble en suite bathrooms. Suites have rainfall showers and free-standing baths. The basement houses an impressive spa.
20 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PD (020 3747 1000; morganshotelgroup.com). Doubles from £258, B&B.
Ace Hotel, Los Angeles
This building in Downtown LA started life in 1927 as a United Artists film studio. Today, it houses the Ace Hotel, incorporating the restored United Artists Theatre, which is immense with three storeys and 1,600 seats. It’s intricately decorated with a vaulted ceiling and an ornate balcony festooned with thousands of mirrors. Bedrooms are the exact opposite: classically cool with bare walls, wood floors and, in some, acoustic guitars. Suites have kitchenettes and stand-alone baths.
929 S Broadway Street, Los Angeles, California, US (001 213 623 3233; acehotel.com/losangeles). Doubles from $229 (£149), room only.
Hotel Rival, Stockholm
Chic Art Deco-inspired design has helped turn this old 1930s cinema into a modern boutique hotel in the heart of Stockholm. Above each bed is a giant still from a Swedish film, with floor-length cinema-style curtains hanging either side. A 700-seat theatre puts on regular concerts and shows. The hotel is also part-owned by Abba’s Benny Andersson, which explains why there’s an “Abba Gold” CD in every room along with a selection of other CDs and DVDs.
Mariatorget 3, Stockholm, Sweden (00 46 8 545 789 00; rival.se). Doubles from 1,495 SEK (£116), B&B.
Limes Hotel, Brisbane
Watching a film doesn’t have to mean sitting inside. Perched on the rooftop of Brisbane’s hip Limes Hotel is a cinema, kitted out with comfy seats and cushions, where movies are screened every Wednesday and Thursday evening. Grab a drink from the rooftop bar or, during the day, take a dip in one of the plunge pools while you admire the view. Bedrooms are decked out with everything from iPod docking stations to mini-kitchenettes and hammocks.
142 Constance Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (0061 7 3852 9000; limeshotel.com.au). Doubles from A$359 (£181), B&B.
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