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Millennium Biltmore Hotel facts for kids

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Biltmore Hotel
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Biltmore Hotel
Hotel facts and statistics
Location Los Angeles, California
Coordinates 34°02′56″N 118°15′12″W / 34.048908°N 118.253295°W / 34.048908; -118.253295
Address
Opening date 1923
Developer Biltmore Hotels with John McEntee Bowman
Architect Schultze and Weaver
Owner Millennium & Copthorne Hotels
Designated: July 2, 1969
Reference #: 60

The Millennium Biltmore Hotel is a super fancy hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, California. It first opened its doors in 1923. Back then, it was called the Los Angeles Biltmore. It was the biggest hotel west of Chicago in the whole United States!

In 1969, the City of Los Angeles named the Biltmore Hotel a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. This means it's a really important building with a lot of history. Today, it's part of the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels group. The hotel has a huge amount of space for meetings and parties. It started with 1500 guestrooms but now has 683, after some changes.

Exploring the Biltmore's Design

Millenniumbiltmorelobby
Millennium Biltmore Hotel Lobby

The Biltmore Hotel was designed by a company called Schultze & Weaver. They mixed different old styles like Spanish, Italian, and French art. The goal was to honor the Spanish history of Los Angeles. You'll see the "Biltmore Angel" everywhere in the design. It's a symbol for both the city and the hotel itself. The building is made of strong steel and concrete. It covers half a city block and is more than 11 stories tall.

Inside the Beautiful Biltmore

The inside of the Biltmore Hotel is full of amazing art. You'll find painted walls and ceilings, carved marble fountains, and huge wood ceilings. There are also walls made of stone and wood, and sparkling crystal lights. Look for bronze stairwells and fancy wood designs. You can also see beautiful tapestries from other countries.

The most famous parts are the painted ceilings in the main Galleria and the Crystal Ballroom. An Italian artist named John B. Smeraldi painted them by hand in 1922. He was known for his work in the Vatican City and the White House. Smeraldi and his team spent seven months painting the ballroom ceiling. They decorated it with gods, angels, and other mythical creatures. Later, in the 1980s, his student Anthony Heinsbergen carefully fixed it up. The huge crystal chandeliers in the ballroom are 12 feet wide!

Special Rooms and Details

The Rendezvous Court used to be the hotel's main lobby. Now, people often go there for afternoon tea. Its ceiling has a special design with gold accents. Two original Italian chandeliers from 1923 still hang there. There's also a grand bronze doorway with an astrological clock that still tells time. On the stairwell, you can see figures of the Roman goddess Ceres and the Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa. The current lobby has its original stone walls and wood panels. It also has a large artificial skylight that shines down on the custom carpet.

Each ballroom on the Galleria level has its own theme. The Emerald Room was once the main dining room for guests. It has hand-painted animals and fish on its ceiling beams. The Tiffany Room used to be an open hallway. Now it's a fancy enclosed space. It celebrates exploration with sculptures of Queen Isabella I of Castile and Christopher Columbus. The Gold Room was a dining room for important guests. It has secret spots for drinks and panels for photographers. It's decorated with a gold ceiling and wood paneling.

The South Galleria has painted designs inspired by ancient Roman art. It has a high ceiling and marble railings. Big iron gates open to a staircase that leads to the Biltmore Bowl. The hotel also has a health club and an indoor pool. This area looks like the decks of fancy ocean liners from the 1920s. It still has its original brass trim, teakwood chairs, and Italian mosaic tiles.

Dining at the Biltmore

The Biltmore Hotel has several places to eat and drink. These include Smeraldi's Restaurant, which serves American food. There's also the Bugis Street Brasserie, the Rendezvous Court, and the Gallery Bar.

Famous Events and Guests

The Los Angeles Biltmore is famous for being an early home to the Academy Awards ceremony, also known as the Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was started at a lunch in the Crystal Ballroom in May 1927. Important people like Louis B. Mayer met there to plan the new organization. They wanted to give awards to people in the movie industry.

Legend says that a movie art director named Cedric Gibbons was there. He quickly drew the design for the Oscar statue on a Biltmore napkin! Eight Oscar ceremonies were held in the Biltmore Bowl. These happened in 1931, 1935–39, and 1941–42. In 1977, Bob Hope hosted the Academy's 50th Anniversary party in the same room.

Historical Moments

The Biltmore Theater was once next to the hotel. It hosted plays with famous actors like Helen Hayes and Katharine Hepburn. It also showed big movies like Ben Hur and Wings.

In 1929, the German airship Graf Zeppelin flew over the hotel. It was on a trip around the world. The Biltmore staff provided food for the crew and passengers. During World War II, the Biltmore became a place for soldiers to rest. The entire second floor had beds for military personnel on leave.

In 1960, the Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles. John F. Kennedy was chosen as the presidential candidate there. He set up his campaign office in the Music Room. His running mate, Lyndon B. Johnson, was across the hall. Their press conferences in the Crystal Ballroom were widely photographed.

The Beatles visited the hotel in August 1964 during their first U.S. tour. So many fans were outside that the "Fab Four" had to land on top of the hotel in a helicopter to get to their room!

The Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel was the headquarters for the International Olympic Committee during the 1984 Summer Olympics. More recently, the Biltmore has hosted the semi-finals for American Idol. It also hosts awards for the Cinema Audio Society and parties after the Grammy Awards.

Movies and TV Shows Filmed Here

Many movies and TV shows have filmed scenes at the Biltmore Hotel.

Movies

  • 10 Things I Hate About You
  • Alien Nation
  • Beverly Hills Cop
  • Bugsy
  • Chinatown (1974)
  • Daredevil
  • Dave
  • The Game (1997)
  • Ghostbusters (1984)
  • Independence Day (1996)
  • The Italian Job (2003)
  • National Treasure
  • Ocean's 11
  • Pretty in Pink
  • Spider-Man (2002)
  • Splash
  • True Lies
  • Wedding Crashers

The hotel's outside can also be seen in Cruel Intentions, Fight Club and Heat.

Television

Music Videos

Many music videos have also been filmed at the Biltmore:

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