Illustration: Rocco Fazzari
Guest behaviour can put luxury hotels in the spotlight, writes Megan Johnston.
No matter how hard they strive for opulence and tranquillity, luxury hotels around the world can't seem to shake the tendency to get caught up in history. From celebrity tantrums to political scandal, they effortlessly court drama - and many names are still synonymous with controversy long after actual events have passed. Here are some iconic moments in hotel history.
Hilton Amsterdam
Part-honeymoon, part-protest and part-performance art, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's public week-long "bed-in" for world peace attracted worldwide attention after they married in Gibraltar in March 1969. Keen to generate more publicity, the couple staged a second bed-in at Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth in Montreal, Quebec, where they entertained celebrities and activists and recorded a spontaneous performance of Give Peace a Chance.
Mercer Hotel, New York
Russell Crowe assured his fiery reputation at the trendy Mercer Hotel when he threw a telephone during a tantrum at a concierge in 2005. The actor, who was in New York to promote the boxing drama Cinderella Man, suffered a brain snap after hotel staff could not put a call through to his wife, Danielle Spencer, in Australia. He was locked up and charged with assault. "This is possibly the most shameful situation I've ever got myself in in my life and I've done some pretty dumb things," a remorseful Crowe told US TV talk-show host David Letterman a few days after the incident. He eventually settled a civil suit with the concierge and received a token fine after pleading guilty to reduced misdemeanour charges.
Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Berlin
They were only a few short moments but they replayed continually on television sets across the globe. In November 2002, pop singer Michael Jackson ignited a media frenzy when he dangled his child Prince Michael II, hidden by a white cloth, from one of the hotel's balconies to screaming fans below. "I made a terrible mistake," Jackson said afterwards. "I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children."
Grand Hotel, Montreux
British rockers Deep Purple were inspired to write their anthem Smoke on the Water after watching a fire destroy the Montreux Casino on the edge of Lake Geneva. The band's members had come to Montreux in December, 1971, to record their next album at the casino only to watch a fire engulf the building during a Frank Zappa concert. Left with nowhere to play, they set up a makeshift studio at the Grand Hotel, where they recorded their most successful album, Machine Head.
Watergate Hotel, Washington
This is the building that has inspired 40 years of "gate" headlines. In 1972, five men were caught trying to wiretap the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate hotel complex. The subsequent scandal and cover-up engulfed US politics for years. President Richard Nixon denied White House involvement, despite persistent press reports to the contrary, particularly those in the Washington Post from a source who became famous as "Deep Throat". Tape recordings eventually proved Nixon's role in the cover-up. He resigned in 1974.
Chelsea Hotel, New York
Since opening as a hotel in 1905, the Chelsea Hotel has become known as a flourishing hub for artists, misfits and bohemians of all persuasions. Its renowned list of guests and residents includes Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Jimi Hendrix, William Burroughs, Patti Smith and Quentin Crisp. Writer Dylan Thomas died there of alcohol poisoning in 1953 and Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols may have stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death there in 1978.
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