The ultimate film buff’s bucket list: 8 hotels you’ll recognise instantly

Pretty Woman is the Cinderella story about Vivian (Julia Roberts), a quick-witted, down-on-her-luck streetwalker who meets Edward (Richard Gere), a knight in shining armour/exploitative businessman, in a trademark 90s romcom that centres around their stay at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles. Though many of the scenes were shot elsewhere – including the hotel suite, which was staged – that hasn’t stopped the Four Seasons from capitalising on the hotel’s cinematic history. The ‘Pretty Woman Package’ offers a luxury shopping experience, spa treatment, and a night in one of the hotel’s suites with a dedicated attendant on hand to draw the lucky guest a bubble bath. It’ll cost a pretty penny, though, as the four-night experience starts at an eye-watering $100,000.

JACK HARDY

The Savoy, London

Notting Hill, 1999

Most Londoners have seen the queues of giddy tourists snapping selfies outside the famous blue door on Westbourne Road in West London – though, ironically, it isn’t the original famed blue door they think it is. The real door to William Thacker’s flat was sold years ago – its black replacement was painted blue to satisfy Notting Hill fans. Alas, anyone with a heart (or a penchant for romcoms) will remember another memorable moment in the film, when the bookish, floppy-haired William (Hugh Grant) interrupts a press conference to win back demure American actress Anna (Julia Roberts) in front of a room full of paps and hacks. Fittingly, it was shot at the opulent Lancaster Ballroom in one of London’s most prestigious hotels, The Savoy. The quintessentially British address has 263 rooms and suites with Edwardian features, crystal chandeliers, velvet-embossed carpets and Art Deco furnishings, making it fit for a royal. Fittingly, a few members of the monarchy have stayed here, and the odd scene of The Crown was also filmed there, too.

Scott Dressel-Martin

The Stanley Hotel, Colorado, USA

The Shining, 1980

Jet setting meets dark tourism at The Stanley Hotel – the place where Stephen King’s nightmare about his son, when staying in room 217, inspired him to write his spine-chilling novel, The Shining. Interestingly, Stanley Kubrick’s 1980s cult classic wasn’t actually filmed there – it was shot between Timberline Lodge in Oregon and a production studio in England – as he thought The Stanley was too pretty to be terrifying. The historic hotel, set in Colorado’s Estes Valley near the Rocky Mountains, has a picturesque, whitewashed 20th-century façade (albeit with a blood-red roof), homely chocolate-coloured interiors and a plush spa. Still, King, who reportedly wasn’t a fan of the cinematic portrayal of his book, returned to The Stanley Hotel to shoot a three-episode mini-series there in 1997. It’s said paranormal activity lurks in unexpected places at this storied address. Naturally, The Stanley’s owners have embraced King’s haunting depiction, offering one-hour The Shining tours to horror fans visiting on a film-themed pilgrimage.