Vacation Like a U.S. Olympian

It may seem like all they do is train, train, and train some more, but Olympians have to sleep at some point. And when they do, they often crash at some of the nicest hotels around the world. We here at Oyster have found out where some of our favorite (and one of our not-so-favorite) Olympians -- past and present -- have rested their heads when on the road. In honor of the games' opening ceremony, beginning tonight at 7:30 p.m. EDT on NBC (check your local listings for stations), get inspired by photos of the incredible hotels where Olympians have slept, celebrated, and even thrown a few punches!

Phelps may have it all under control in the water, but as the notoriously "bad boy" Olympian (just one reason why we can't help but love him), the swimmer has been known to let loose. After he scored his record-breaking eighth gold medal in Beijing, Phelps headed to Sin City to get, well, downright sinful. Phelps partied at the Palms Casino with friends and reportedly got pretty handsy with some of the female dancers, too. Not that we're judging, of course.

Apolo Ohno has plenty in common with Phelps even though he's a speedskater, not a swimmer (and that they compete in different Olympics altogether). But the Dancing with the Stars champ is also an eight-time Olympic medalist and likes to party just as much as Phelps. Ohno has been spotted at the celeb hotspot Chateau Marmont in the wee hours of the morning several times. You won't be able to catch him competing this summer (obviously), but the athlete says he is strongly considering returning to the ice for the Winter Games in 2014.

Well, even Olympians who have fallen from grace need a place to stay -- and a means of making some cash. The former figure skater, notorious for supposedly hiring a hitman to injure competitor Nancy Kerrigan back in 1994, landed a gig at the MGM Grand in 2002. Harding faced Paula Jones in a celebrity pay-per-view boxing match that was filmed at the hotel. She ended up winning the match, which led to a short-lived (and not-so-successful) boxing career.

When you have an Olympian's bod, you've got to show it off! And that's just what swimmer Natalie Coughlin did in the 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. The eleven-time medalist appeared in the issue wearing only body paint, and celebrated the hot photos at the magazine's party held at Caesar's Palace back in February of 2012.

Nowadays he's better known as the male head of the Kardashian clan, but Bruce was famous before Kim was even born for snagging a gold medal for the decathlon in the '76 Olympic Games. On a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the still-active Jenner vacationed at the luxe Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic, where he played golf at the resort's renowned course.


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• Olympic-Inspired Hotels
• Celebrity Sighting Hotels in London
• Work Out Like a London Local