Millennium Biltmore Hotel
506 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90071
The Story
This magnificent downtown hotel opened in October 1923 as the largest hotel west of Chicago, and within a few years it had wired itself permanently into the story of the movies. More than three thousand of Los Angeles's great and good turned out for the opening — Jack Warner, Cecil B. DeMille, and Mary Pickford among them — and the Renaissance Revival interiors, with their hand-painted ceilings, have been a stand-in for old-world glamour ever since.
Birthplace of the Oscars
In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded at a gathering in the hotel's Crystal Ballroom, and Hollywood lore insists that MGM's great production designer Cedric Gibbons sketched the very first Oscar statuette on a Biltmore dinner napkin. True or not, the hotel went on to host the Academy Awards eight times between 1931 and 1942 — back when the ceremony was an intimate $10-a-plate dinner rather than the four-hour endurance test it has since become.
" The moniker "Oscar" was born here, complete with a giant neon statuette on the hotel's facade.
A star of the screen in its own right
The Biltmore's ornate interiors have appeared in dozens of films and television shows — Chinatown, The Bodyguard, Ghostbusters, Mad Men — whenever a director needed a room that looked expensive without trying too hard. The lobby alone is worth the detour even if you never make it upstairs.
Signature Experiences
The Rendezvous Court (original lobby)
The hotel's original main lobby, now the Rendezvous Court, has a Moorish-Revival ceiling finished in 24-carat gold and two Italian chandeliers imported in 1923. Free to admire even if you are not staying.
The Crystal Ballroom
The ballroom where several of the early Academy Awards were held. It can sometimes be viewed on request.
Famous Connections
Who Came Here
As Seen In
Plan Your Visit
Good to Know
- How to Book: Book rooms direct at millenniumhotels.com or by phone. No ticket is needed to admire the lobby and Rendezvous Court — just walk in; ask the front desk about viewing the Crystal Ballroom.
- Best Time: Year-round. Weekdays are quietest for admiring the public rooms.
- Accessibility: Contact the hotel directly to confirm accessible rooms and step-free access to the historic public rooms.
- Tip: The lobby is free to admire — ask whether the Crystal Ballroom, where the early Oscars were held, can be viewed during your visit. A darker footnote: this was the last place the Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short, was seen alive in 1947, a detail the Biltmore understandably keeps quiet.