Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will be hosting the 82nd Academy Awards on March 7, 2010 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Giant Oscar

It’s customary at this stage to write about the best hotels for the Oscars – the ones which are strategically located for the red carpet, the Los Angeles hotels with the most glitz and glamor for the after-parties, etc.

Also, since not everyone will be in LA, you’ll find below famed hotels around the world with strong connections to tinseltown.

LA Inc. – The official tourism marketing organization for Los Angeles has come up with an LA Guide to the Oscars, with a neat roundup of hotels that have links and/or proximity to the Oscars and the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland.

The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa offers a vantage point for celebrity spotting and for watching the preparations; the Roosevelt Hotel for soaking in the Oscar history;  the new W Hotel with it’s own red carpet; and the Hotel Bel-Air and Beverly Wilshire as celebrity hotspots.

Movie Hotels - List of America’s top 10 movie hotels, where countless classic celluloid scenes have been shot. The list is topped by the Fairmont San Francisco, followed by the Bellagio in Las Vegas and the Plaza Hotel (also a Fairmont) in New York.

The Plaza Hotel, New York

Two LA -based stars on TA’s list of movie hotels include the Millenium Biltmore and the aforementioned Beverly Wilshire.

The remainder is rounded up by the Renaissance St. Louis, The Roosevelt Hotel in New York, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Timberline Lodge in Oregon, and the Mountain Lake Hotel in Pembroke, VA.

Hotel-themed Movies - List of the top 8 academy award winning hotel movies. As in movies centred around a hotel, which went on to be nominated for an Oscar or worse… 

The top three on the list are Grand Hotel (Berlin), Hotel Rwanda and Hotel Paraiso (Portugal).

The remaining five are made up of Four Rooms and Hotel, Holiday Inn, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Hôtel Terminus – The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, and International Hotel (aka The V.I.P.s).

Celebrity Hotels – List of the world’s top 10 hotels owned by celebrities. Properties on this list owned by Hollywood stars include Robert Redford’s cool Sundance Resort in Utah, Robert De Niro’s hot Greenwich Hotel in New York and Francis Ford Coppola’s soothing Blancaneaux Lodge in San Ignacio, Belize.

Lastly, here’s a few takes from UpTake on celebrity hotels where you’ll get a red carpet welcome, mingle with Hollywood celebs and enjoy the Oscar party atmosphere.

Chateau Marmont

Take 1   – Chateau Marmont, Hollywood
Take 2   – The Standard Downtown, Los Angeles
Take 3   – The Mondrian, West Hollywood
Take 4   – Soho Grand, NYC
Take 5   – Cheeca Spa and Lodge, Florida Keys
Take 6   – Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada
Take 7   – Huka Lodge, Taupo, NZ
Take 8   – Guanahani Hotel and Spa, St. Barthelemy, West indies
Take 9   – Byblos Hotel in St. Tropez, France
Take 10 – One & Only Palmilla, Cabo San Lucas

Photo credits – Giant Oscar – Alan Light; Plaza Hotel – TripAdvisor; Chateau Marmont – Gary Minnaert

View from Hilton Boston Back Bay - Rm 2300

Part of our visit to Boston recently was to see our niece attending Northeastern University and take her out for a good time. Having had such a great experience at the Gatwick London Hilton last fall, we decided to try out the Hilton Boston Back Bay. This hotel is a short walking distance to the Northeastern campus, the Prudential Center with its mall stores and observatory, the start of Newbury Street and Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. I can tell you already my husband is planning our return in the spring so we can go to a baseball game there.

As we have done in the past, we prepaid our room for $89 but signed up for an upgrade to a superior room with a killer view if available for $19 extra per night. When we checked in they upgraded us to Room 2300 and we loved it. Read More »

The Null Stern Hotel is more like a shelter or a hostel.  It’s an abandoned Swiss nuclear shelter.  You pay $10 and you can potentially be sharing a room with up to 6 other people.  “A great way to meet other travelers on a more intimate level,” so says the marketing masterminds behind this project.  That is if you’re okay with little privacy and getting only a bed and hot water out of the deal!

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The Baur au Lac Hotel in Zurich Switzerland has recently renovated it's rooms.

Zurich Switzerland is a beautiful city, surrounded by the breathtaking view of the Alps.  Museums, The Opera House, and more will delight you as you enjoy local food and culture.  To be pampered in style, check out these gorgeous hotels:

Baur au Lac is a high quality hotel with the guest in mind.  On the shore of Lake Zurich in it’s very own private park, this hotel is a member of “The Leading Hotels of the World” and of “Swiss Deluxe Hotels” and lives up to it’s name in service and food.  The rooms are recently renovated and spacious, decorated in various styles throughout.

Hotel du Theatre boasts the La Suite Lounge on the first floor as the “perfect meeting place for moviegoers.” Now they serve Tapas for before or after the theatre.  YUM.

Hotel St. Gotthard has been open since 1889 and is now on it’s 4th generation of owners.  This luxurious legend is high in class and located in the heart of the city center.  Enjoy the lobster and oyster bar/restaurant or the Piano Lobby Bar/Restaurant or the canopied pavement café for a light meal.

{photo source Baur au Lac}