Whether it is the thrill of being away from home or the secrecy of an address without your name attached to it, hotels seem to be prime locations for a wide range of unsavory historical happenings. From murders to scandals, innocent mistakes to well-plotted escapades, many hotels have a colorful history just waiting to be prodded out of the closets and hallways; although, not every hotel proudly flaunts them. Listed here are six of the most notorious hotel room events of all time:
6. Add a Touch of Scandal
Sexual scandal is no stranger to hotels, and the Mayflower Hotel is standing proof. It was here that President Clinton was photographed being embraced by Monica Lewinsky in 1996.
During Clinton’s impeachment trial, Lewinsky was again at the Mayflower, this time being interviewed by impeachment managers in regard to her relationship with the president.
5. Killers’ Heaven
No hotel wants the reputation of being a safe house for killers, but it seems that the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles has just that. While there may be a much longer list, the most famous killers to have been caught while staying at the Cecil are Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger.
The latter is said to have stayed at the Cecil intentionally as an homage to Ramirez.
4. Lover’s Spat
If hotel walls could tell tales, lover’s quarrels would probably make for some of the juiciest gossip. Most such quarrels are harmless, but a few get a little messy. Take for instance an apparent disagreement between Johnny Depp and Kate Moss in 1994. Police were called to the scene at The Mark Hotel, again in New York, where the couple had completely trashed the room.
While the cost per night in the presidential suite was a staggering $1,200, Kate and Johnny were charged $9,767 for the damages caused by their little lover’s spat.
3. Cap-Choking
Some of the most beautiful and historic old hotels have some rather bizarre pasts. Hotel Elysee in New York, just minutes from central Manhattan, is no exception. It was here that playwright Tennessee Williams is said to have died from choking on a prescription medicine bottle cap.
It’s not exactly the most common way to pass from this life, but it leaves the hotel with a story.
2. TV Throwing
Most hotels like to keep their televisions inside, but it seems that one hotel, in particular, seems to be a popular place to chuck the TV out the window. Apparently, both Rolling Stone’s Keith Richards and The Who’s Keith Moon are said to have sent televisions airborne.
Perhaps because of this reputation, Andaz West Hollywood was the site of A.C. in Rock Star throwing a TV out the window when his wife ran off with another man.
1. Dangling Baby – Hotel Adlon, Berlin
While The Adlon Hotel has a long history of prestige and grandeur, many people had never heard of it until Michael Jackson made it infamous.
Jackson’s visit in 2002 is remembered, not so much for the crowds gathered outside the hotel, but for Jackson’s rather unorthodox dangling of his son, Blanket, out the window at the crowds below.
Of course, there are many more notorious hotel room events hidden around the world. Tragic murders, suicides, or just plain stupid acts all find themselves living out in a home away from home, and sometimes they leave a stamp on the hotel, sending it into the history books with a somewhat dubious past.
