Famous - and infamous - hotels

Looking for a brush with fame instead of mints on the pillow? We've got our favourite celebrity hotels - owned by celebs, trashed by celebs, wired into our psyches by celebs.

Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal

This is the site of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 'Bed In', spending a week in bed in May 1969 to protest the Vietnam War and hold court with a raft of reporters. Presumably they've changed the sheets since then.

The Stanley Hotel, Colorado

The Stanley Hotel sits at the foot of grand mountains and is apparently the hotel that inspired the Stephen King novel and movie of the same name, The Shining. If you see Jack Nicholson checking in, back away slowly.

Big Sleep, Cardiff

John Malkovich - amazing actor, menswear designer... hotel owner? Yep, JM is a stakeholder in this refreshingly affordable designer hotel.

Mark Twain Hotel, San Francisco

Jazz legend Billie Holiday was staying here back in 1949 when federal narcotics agents raided her room for opium possession.  That particular room has been named The Billie Holiday Room.

The Clarence, Dublin

The Clarence has serious rock chops - it's owned by Bono and The Edge from U2. But rather than a chaotic scene of groupie madness, this place is elegant, understated, five-star charm. Keep an eye out for its Norman Foster revamp.

Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles

Quite possibly one of the world's most famous celebrity hotels and still a fixture in Hollywood lore as an unofficial headquarters to the Hollywood movie scene. They've all had their times here - Greta Garbo, Natalie Wood, James Dean, Jim Morrison... Some had their final times here, like John Belushi, who overdosed on a speedball in 1982.

Greenwich Hotel, New York City

Robert de Niro's latest Tribeca hotel started life as a crummy little parking lot, which he has transformed into a boutique beauty of vaulted ceilings and rooms with French doors that open onto a central, flower-filled garden. Sigh...

Highland Gardens Hotel, Los Angeles

Highland Gardens was quite the star hang-out back in the day, and while still operating as an affordable motel, it's probably most well-known for being the place where Janis Joplin checked out forever.

Rival Hotel, Stockholm

The Rival is owned by Benny from Abba and features a vintage 1940s cinema and a bakery on site. Sounds like one sweet'n'dreamy sleep.

L'Hotel, Paris

The hotel where Oscar Wilde uttered his final bon mot - which is famously quoted as being 'Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.' L'Hotel is still a very popular spot - might have something to do with the swimming pool in the cellar.

Chelsea Hotel, NYC

No list like this would be complete without a mention of The Chelsea, which has attracted writers, artists and musicians for decades. Residents read like a who's who of popular arts and culture - Ginsberg, Kubrik, Hendrix - but it's probably most famous for being the hotel where Sid Vicious murdered Nancy Spungeon.

Celeb-centric or not, there's a whole world of hotels and motels for you to check out at hotels.lonelyplanet.com