Hotelier André Balazs has revealed more about his plan to convert the famed Hollywood haunt Chateau Marmont into a private club.
Page Six reported that there has been backlash to the plan from community leaders and the hotel’s laid-off staff during the pandemic.
Perhaps to quell the local ire, Balazs told Variety in a new interview, “Chateau Marmont is not going to be closed to the public,” pointing out his new club will have a restaurant available to non-members, and spaces like the lobby to rent out for private parties.
The private club would be part-owned by members via property shares with Balazs as majority owner.
Perks would include personal butlers, extended stay bookings and year-round storage for members’ stuff, but pricing is so-far unknown.
Balazs also revealed that the process is being captured in a documentary about the historic hotel that’s been filming for five years. He said past residents such as Jane Fonda have offered their personal footage, and JJ Abrams expressed interest in making it all into a Netflix series.
Meantime, Unite Here Local 11 — which is helping some of the nearly 242 staffers let go by the hotel — has slammed the private club plan as a “cynical ruse.”