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9 Great Hotel Movies

News
26 July 2019
Checking in with these great hotel movies.
hotel-artemis-hotel-movies

Checking into Hotel Artemis for your Sunday night movie on M-Net wonโ€™t be anything new. After all, the movies have given us many a hotel-set story through the ages. But Hotel Artemis isnโ€™t your regular go-to holiday accommodation. Itโ€™s actually a hospital, and itโ€™s reserved exclusively for criminals.

Criminal activity is nothing new for hotels either. We need only trot out the horrors of Overlook Hotel and the mischievous mayhem of the Grand Budapest to make our point. But whether the site of holiday fun or axe-wielding horror, we love visiting these places again and again. ย 

  1. Overlook Hotel, The Shining (1980)

When writer Jack Torrance takes his family to Overlook Hotel in the Rockies, he gets far more inspiration for his writerโ€™s block than he bargained for. Although Stephen King, whose book this movie is based upon, was not a fan of the Stanley Kubrick adaptation, it became a cult classic, constantly and consistently making best horror movie lists.

  1. Plaza Hotel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Some hotel movies do offer an actual holiday, and none is more fun-filled than this sequel to the 1990 hit family comedy. Not that family should really be a word used to describe these movies, as Kevin McCallisterโ€™s parents always manage to lose their son. But young Kevin makes the most of his situation by living it up in a luxurious New York hotel, courtesy of his dadโ€™s credit card. Unfortunately, the bumbling bandits from the first movie are just around the corner to spoil his fun.

  1. Hotel Mon Signor, Four Rooms (1995)

Tim Roth ties the four parts of this hotel comedy together as the bellhop who encounters an eccentric assortment of guests during his first night on the job. Each segment follows a different set of guests and has its own director, namely: Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino. That same year Tarantino also cameoed in Rodriguezโ€™s second feature film, Desperado, and the two would continue working together many times thereafter.

  1. Park Hyatt Tokyo, Lost in Translation (2003)

Scarlett Johannsson not only made a successful transition from child actor to adult star, she also became a significant part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the worldโ€™s highest paid actress. Amongst her many acclaimed roles, one of the most memorable is certainly her award-winning turn as Charlotte in Sofia Coppola's second feature. Sipping vodka tonics in a hotel bar against breathtaking vistas of the Tokyo skyline, her performance announced not only her arrival as an adult star, but one who was here to stay.

  1. Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011, 2015)

English acting royalty โ€“ Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Maggie Smith, and Tom Wilkinson โ€“ gather in Jaipur, India atย the hotel-cum-retirement home of the title. Instilling a dose of youthful exuberance amongst the fussy fastidiousness of the golden oldies is Dev Patelโ€™s hotel manager Sonny Kapoor. The filmโ€™s wit, charm, and heart completely won over the audience, leading to a sequel with the addition of Richard Gere to the cast.

  1. Grand Budapest Hotel, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Wes Anderson takes us on a many-hued misadventure to the fictional country of Zubrowka, where the Grand Budapest Hotel is located. Set in the 1930s it includes a rich dead woman, a painting of an apple, and delightful performances from its leads Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori as the hotelโ€™s concierge and lobby boy.

  1. Continental Hotel, John Wick (2014, 2017, 2019)

Although this trifecta of Keanu Reeves kicking ass is not as closely centred on a hotel as other entries on the list, the importance of the hotel to the trilogyโ€™s overarching story means it canโ€™t be left out. For this is the place where assassins and others of their ilk come to seek refuge, John Wick amongst them. Its sanctuary is presided over by the concierge Charon, played by the glorious Lance Reddick.

  1. Hotel Cortez, American Horror Story: Hotel (2015 โ€“ 2016)

Weโ€™re cheating a bit here, because AHS is of course not a movie; but we just couldnโ€™t leave this fantastic anthology series off the list. The fifth season sets its dark drama in Los Angeles, focusing on the mysterious horrors of a hotel presided over by Lady Gagaโ€™s bloodsucking Countess. The horrors of Hotel Cortez were inspired by an actual LA hotel, called Cecil Hotel, which was the site of many a sinister and suspicious act.

  1. El Royale, Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Speaking of shady, thereโ€™s this most recent entry. When you check into El Royale you can choose to stay in either California or Nevada, seeing as how the hotel straddles the borders of both. But thatโ€™s about the only quaint thing about it, as its secretive guests soon discover. Guests include Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, and Chris Hemsworth.

Book your stay at Hotel Artemis this Sunday night, 28 July, at 20:05 on M-Net channel 101 or Saturday 3 August at 20:00 on M-Net Movies Premiere channel 104.