This post by “TheHipmunk” originally appeared on the Tailwind Blog by Hipmunk on January 14, 2016.
Stalled on your latest novel? Is the second act of your play not working? What you need is inspiration, and you can find it at these hotels with impressive literary legacies. Maybe the ghosts of famous writers can whisper a few secrets for success.
L’Hotel, Paris
The dying Oscar Wilde once said of his room here, “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.” Oscar went, and so did the wallpaper, eventually. Now an opulent upscale boutique hotel on the Left Bank, L’Hotel is known for its lush rooms. The Oscar Wilde Suite has his overdue hotel bills framed.
Hotel del Coronado, San Diego
This beach resort features in many movies (like “Some Like It Hot”), but its haunted room prompted Stephen King to write his ultra-creepy story, “1408.” If you want to turn your novel into a screenplay, follow in the footsteps of L. Frank Baum, the writer of “The Wizard of Oz” books, who once stayed there.
The Monteleone, New Orleans
The Monteleone, in New Orleans, features too many stories to describe. Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Hemingway and Faulkner all hung out at this hotel, perhaps for the antique rotating Carousel Bar.
The Plaza, New York City
The queen of New York hotels loves writers, especially F. Scott Fitzgerald, who set scenes from “The Great Gatsby” there. Kids love the Eloise Suite, inspired by Kay Thompson’s book about the little girl who lived at the Plaza.
Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles
Besides the rock ‘n’ roll gods, movie stars and rich eccentrics, this LA landmark also provided a writing heaven for Jay McInerney and the incredible Hunter S. Thompson.
Omni Parker House, Boston
This venerable 1854 hotel is still one of Boston’s finest. Back in the day, the Parker House hosted quite the writers’ group: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Nathanial Hawthorne. Dickens hung out there when he was in town.
The Algonquin, New York City
The Algonquin is the most famous writers’ hotel of all. It garnered it’s still-powerful reputation from the 1920’s Round Table, which comprised the wits of the day, including Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Edna Ferber and others. Writers still love this place.
The Library Hotel, New York City
You know a hotel is serious about writers when the entire place is based on the Dewey Decimal System — Seventh Floor: The Arts, Eighth Floor: Literature, and so on. There’s a Writer’s Den & Poetry Garden and a 6,000-volume book collection, and the hotel is around the corner from the NY Public Library. Check in to Hipmunk deals at The Library Hotel, New York City, and power through that first draft of your novel.