Legend Of The Sunset Marquis Hotel.
In the summer of 1961, real estate developer George Rosenthal sat in the living room of Chicago’s Playboy mansion with Hugh Hefner trying to decide whether or not they should take a $12 million loan from Jimmy Hoffa.
On the upside, it was the amount of money Rosenthal needed to build a new Playboy Club and hotel in the heart of West Hollywood’s legendary Sunset Strip. The downside was that getting into business with Jimmy Hoffa presented the very real potential of being hazardous to your health. And it didn’t help that Robert Kennedy, the newly appointed US attorney general, had an almost singular determination to bring Hoffa down.
After turning down Hoffa’s proposal, Rosenthal was able to find local financing for the Playboy office building (which would house the club), but not the Playboy hotel. Shortly after construction began on the office building and club, and still sensing the need for accommodations for the performers and guests at the club, he purchased property just down the street at 1200 Alta Loma Drive.
He called the place The Sunset Marquis after his newly born son Markey, and for the past 50 years, it has been the home away from home for actors, comedians, writers, artists, filmmakers, fashion designers, supermodels, restaurateurs, billionaire entrepreneurs, and the newest breed of entertainer when the hotel opened its doors in 1963: rock stars.
At the corner of Sunset and San Vicente, the Whisky a Go Go opened in January of 1964 as a venue for local bands like The Byrds and The Doors. The Whisky also witnessed the American debuts of British acts, including The Who, The Kinks, and Led Zeppelin.
In the 1970s the Troubadour was home to multi-night stints by emerging acts like Neil Diamond—who used to perform by the Sunset Marquis pool to pay his tab—Elton John—still frequently seen eating in the restaurant or on his way to the recording studio—and Bruce Springsteen, who still stays at the hotel. The Marquis was even home to an affair between Trent Reznor and Courtney Love, whose band, Hole, recorded the song “Sunset Marquis,” about her time at the hotel.
Also during the 1990s, the bar at the Marquis placed the hotel—uncomfortably at times—in the spotlight. The room was a converted office with a capacity of a little more than 60 regular people, but could fit up to 82 supermodels, and it did. Walking into The Whiskey Bar, as it was named (Rande Gerber was hired as a consultant after the success of his Whiskey Bars in New York), was like walking into George Michael’s “Freedom” video while thumbing through the Victoria’s Secret catalogue.
Today, the Sunset Marquis has grown into a full-service hotel with 154 suites and villas, a restaurant, spa, and a recording studio where dozens of Grammy Award-winning records have been produced. The hotel’s main building has recently undergone a face-lift that completes a $35 million renovation and expansion (helmed by interior designer Oliva Villaluz) that began in 2004, and even includes parking for two tour buses.
NightBird Studios.
The story goes, writer / producer Jed Leiber and famed guitarist Jeff Beck were staying in the Sunset Marquis Hotel in the early 1990's, and were writing and performing in their hotel room. After some noise complaints, the General Manager of the hotel offered them a laundry room in the basement, where they could make as much noise as they wanted. What started as a temporary room, turned into a destination for rock stars and the like to come hang, and make records. Jed saw the opportunity to build a fully developed recording studio, just steps from the famous bar, and luxurious pool at the Sunset Marquis.
http://sunsetmarquis.com
http://www.nightbirdrecordingstudios.com/clients/
1200 Alta Loma Rd, West Hollywood, CA 90069, United States
Ph: +1 310-657-1333