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Movie Stars and Moguls: The Most Famous Hotel Residents of the Past

This post originally appeared on Yahoo! Travel.

For those of us who grew up reading the adventures of Eloise, the mischievous little girl who grew up at The Plaza, living in a hotel -- with daily maid service and pampering -- represents the ultimate fantasy. But it's been a reality for many notables over the years, from the starving, not-yet-famous artists who stayed at flophouse dives to bona fide stars like Marilyn Monroe, who shacked up at one of Beverly Hills' nicest hotels.

Washington Square Park Hotel, New York City

Built in 1902, the Washington Square Hotel used to be the Hotel Earle, a rundown residential hotel in Greenwich Village offering cheap shelter for famous writers and musicians during their struggling years. Long-term guests have included Bo Diddley(who loved room 107), Bob Dylan(who lived in room 305), and Dylan Thomas. Rates were around $3 to $5 a night in the 1960s (or $22 to $37 in today's dollars) and $10 to $15 in the 1970s ($56 to $84 in today's dollars); that's when the bohemian Village was home to beatnik coffee houses, not today's luxury residences. Today, the low-key, B&B-style property attracts NYU parents and tourists.

Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles

Perched on a hill overlooking L.A.'s Sunset Boulevard, the Chateau Marmont has been a bastion of Old Hollywood -- and a way of life for many a celebrity -- since it opened in 1929. Roman Polanskilived here after directing Rosemary's Baby in 1968 -- the year before his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered. In 1982, John Belushi moved into Bungalow 3, where he later overdosed on heroin. Other permanent residents have included Greta Garbo, Robert De Niro, Keanu Reeves, Josh Hartnett and Johnny Depp.

Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Los Angeles

Quiet, luxurious, and steeped in Hollywood history, the Fairmont Miramar is one of Santa Monica's best hotels. Thanks to its secluded bungalows and head-high hedges that shield it from the street, it has long been a coastal retreat for Los Angeles' entertainment-industry heavyweights. Blonde bombshell Jean Harlowe rented one of the bungalows in the early 1930s, actress Jean Simmonslived in a bungalow for seven months, and Faye Dunawaykept a permanent suite here in the 1970s.

Algonquin Hotel, New York City

Although this small, elegant New York City hotel is better known for its literary pedigree -- this is the home of the infamous Round Table -- it has a colorful Hollywood history as well. Douglas Fairbanks lived in the hotel from 1907 to 1915, and other movie-industry residents included Audrey Hepburn, Billy Wilder, andSir Laurence Olivier.

Hotel Elysee, New York City

Built in midtown Manhattan in 1926, and named for one of the finest French restaurants of the era, the Elysee became a long-term residence for movie stars, authors, and musicians. Marlon Brandohad a suite, now named "Sayonara" after his role in Teahouse of the August Moon. In 1983, writer Tennessee Williams died in the Sunset suite, having written much of his late material while living in the hotel. World-renowned pianist Vladimir Horowitz moved a Steinway baby grand piano into the hotel when he took up temporary residence. Upon checkout, he famously shrugged at the hotel's manager and said, "Keep it." (The piano remains in the Presidential suite to this day.)

The St. Regis Washington, D.C.

The St. Regis is one of D.C.'s most luxurious hotels -- and it has been since it opened its doors in 1926 as the Carlton Hotel. Back then, room rates started at $5 a night, and suites started at $15 a night -- worth about $61 and $184 in today’s dollars. Howard Hugheskept a permanent suite at the Carlton during World War II, and let soldiers stay in it free of charge whenever the hotel was full.

The Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles

With 12 acres of lush grounds, this historic hotel -- opened in 1912 -- is a serene, luxurious escape five minutes from Rodeo Drive. Eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes kept four permanent bungalows at the hotel (two were decoys) where he lived on and off through the '40s, '50s, and '60s, and during his residency he made the kind of demanding requests you'd expect from an eccentric billionaire -- pineapple upside-down cakes at 3 a.m., and roast beef sandwiches left at the trunk of the tree in his garden (so he wouldn't have to interact with anyone). Marilyn Monroeand Yves Montand lived in bungalows 20 and 21 during the filming of Let's Make Love at the end of the 1950s (and the two were reportedly taking the film's title to heart).

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