The Pink Palace: A Century of Hollywood Secrets and Royal Scandals
In short: Before Beverly Hills even existed as a city, a wealthy widow built a hotel to lure people to the desert. It became the ultimate sanctuary for icons, from the Rat Pack to the Sultan of Brunei, cementing its status as a landmark of high-society history.
The Beverly Hills Hotel was established in May 1912, predating the city's incorporation in 1914. It was commissioned by Margaret J. Anderson and her son, Stanley S. Anderson, at the request of oil tycoon Burton Green. Green wanted to develop the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, which had previously belonged to the Mexican government. To attract visitors to what he called a location 'halfway between Los Angeles and the sea,' he hired the Andersons to build a 'huge Mission-style hotel' that promised guests the best of everything regardless of cost.
The property quickly became a magnet for the burgeoning film industry. By 1914, stars like Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin were purchasing nearby homes, transforming the surrounding bean fields into prime real estate. The hotel served as a literal home for celebrities; Gloria Swanson lived in a bungalow during her divorce, and Howard Hughes famously requested roast beef sandwiches be delivered to a specific nook in a tree. It also served as a site of historical gravity: in 1972, Nixon's chief of staff and a presidential aide were informed of the Watergate burglary while eating breakfast in the Polo Lounge.
The hotel's aesthetic and cultural identity evolved through several eras. It was first painted its signature pink in 1948 to mirror the country club style of the time. In 1941, Hernando Courtright established the Polo Lounge, which became a legendary haunt for the Rat Pack and Marlene Dietrich, who famously successfully campaigned against a dress code requiring women to wear skirts. The hotel has seen a dizzying array of ownership, including a $136 million sale to Marvin Davis in 1986, followed by a sale to the Sultan of Brunei. In 2012, it was officially named the first historic landmark in Beverly Hills.
Despite its glamorous history, the hotel has faced modern scrutiny. In 2014, an LGBT advocacy organization boycotted the property to protest the Sultan of Brunei's legal changes regarding Sharia law. The hotel management responded by clarifying that it does not discriminate based on sexual orientation. Today, it remains a managed property of the Dorchester Collection, balancing its role as a historic monument with its status as a living piece of Hollywood lore.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Beverly Hills Hotel
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