While the average weary traveler might revel in such luxuries as a pillow mint or an ultra-plush robe during their stay at a nice hotel, celebrities and their many-person entourages have come to expect a veritable carte blanche on amenities and outlandish requests. Not only are there demands for private chefs, beefed-up security teams, and bizarre staff rules—Barbra Streisand, for example, has requested never to be addressed directly by anyone— but there are also major renovation and redecoration projects, all for a single night's stay. Check out the juicy list below to learn which enigmatic singer calls for all-black interiors, which pop diva won't do without a peach, rose-strewn toilet, and many, many more.
(↑) A hotel staff member leaked that musical icon Madonna once had an entire room redone—including a fresh coat of paint, new lights, and a brand-new bed—for a single night's stay at the Soho House in Berlin. "Madonna doesn't like to sleep where other people have slept," confessed an employee who witnessed the $2K+ renovation."We have never had a request like this before." [Aol]
(↑) Generally angry rapper Eminem always asks that oh-so-picturesque tin foil cover every single window at all of his hotel suites—including the one at Le Meurice in Paris, France. Everyone should definitely let this guy be in charge of all hotel decor, everywhere. [Perez Hilton, HotelChatter]
(↑) According to a scandalous tell-all written by former maids, actress Nicole Kidman once shipped over a set of pink 800 thread-count Italian sheets right before a 12-hour stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. She also sent some detailed diagrams and (probably borderline insulting) instructions on how to make the bed. In the end, she never even showed up. [NBC]
(↑) Last year, interior design lover Sir Elton John asked for a fully furnished extra hotel room—complete with fresh bouquets of chrysanthemums—for his glasses and accessories at the five-star Ouro Minas Hotel in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He also requested the room be kept at exactly 60°F to "preserve the accessories"—which apparently are all made of butter or something. [Huffington Post]
(↑) No surprises here: modest wallflower Mariah Carey requests silver chandeliers, gold faucets, and a red carpet rolled out upon arrival when she stays at hotels like the Baglioni Hotel in London. During a stay at London's Claridge's Hotel, the chanteuse had a $20K fitness facility installed in a room right across from her penthouse. One last must-have? Her own videos playing on a loop in her room—yes, really. [PR Newswire, NBC]
(↑) Given the singer's rep as the man in purple paisley, it's a shocker to hear that Prince once wanted his entire room at the the Dorchester Hotel in London to be outfitted in all black. [Hotel Chatter]
(↑) Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham asked the Hempel Hotel in London for 60 candles, plusher towels, and spare $7K Italian sheets by designer Francesco Calvidini. [The Evening Standard]
(↑) Singer (and one-time fictional maid in the rom-com Maid in Manhattan) Jennifer Lopez faxed London's Dorchester Hotel a two-page list of everything she'd need for her two-day stay, including a fully furnished kitchen area, fresh lilies and roses, and all-white furnishings. [The Daily Mail Hotel Chatter]
(↑) The late Michael Jackson made a habit of requesting a children's xylophone, bowls of gummy candy on every table, and a six-foot by six-foot giant mirror at London's Jumeria Carlton Tower Hotel. During a stay at the Hempel Hotel, Jackson ordered the staff to build an 18-foot wall in the lobby, so he could come and go in privacy. [London Net]
(↑) Pop star Justin Timberlake is said to have asked that staff at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans disinfect his doorknobs every two hours. He's also been known to rent out entire floors for himself and his large entourage, and demand the air conditioning filters to be changed upon his arrival. Apparently, while the staff was busy keeping the rooms neat and controlled, the star and his lady, Jessica Biel, enjoyed a personalized scavenger hunt. [Condé Nast Traveller]
(↑) Actor and noted hedonist Russell Brand demanded a hotel room with a stripper pole, a personal cocktail bar, and a movie-theater at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. [Hotel Chatter]
(↑) Reigning pop queen and notoriously messy hotel guest Britney Spears also wanted a stripper pole—for workout reasons, though—as well as 100-watt light bulbs at the Dorchester Hotel in London. [Hotel Chatter]
(↑) Noted diva Barbra Streisand once requested peach-colored toilets to "match her complexion" at the Castletown House in London. She also asked that rose petals be floating in said toilets. [Aol]
(↑) "Hotel Chambermaid" crooner Rod Stewart sends in a team of "room-darkening specialists" whenever he spends the night at hotels like the Dorchester Hotel in London. His crew redecorates the room to ensure that no light prevents him from getting a good night's sleep. [The Richest]
(↑) Mother Monster Lady Gaga has gained something of a reputation for her outrageous on-tour demands, a list that includes a request for, in the words of her rider, a "manquin [sic] with puffy pink public [sic] hair" in her dressing rooms. A further look at her long list of requests, though, shows that the singer, who caused swarms of fans to congregate outside L.A.'s Chateau Marmont during her last stay, to also ask for "glam rock" furnishings, black satin drapes, and a private gym in her hotel suite. [Celebuzz, Hotel Chatter]
(↑) Reformed celebrity rabble-rouser and current reality star Lindsay Lohan has made a long and illustrious career out of getting banned from hotels for her antics. While her partying days are apparently over, she's still not a very easy guest, requesting a room change that essentially involved moving a month's worth of her stuff from one studio suite at NYC's Soho Grand to another on a different floor—just because she was "sick" of the scenery. [Jezebel]
· All Hotels Week 2014 posts [Curbed National]
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