I write a lot about actors, actresses, and musicians in the POP CULTURE blog and one of the trends I have been recently taking note of is the huge number of celebrities who are dabbling in other ventures, including real estate. And I’m not just talking about multiple homes, but many A-list Hollywood stars are adding hotels to their real estate portfolios.
For instance did you know the B-52’s Kate Pierson owns the Lazy Meadow Motel in New York’s Catskills? And Clint Eastwood is the proud owner of Mission Ranch in Carmel, California? In fact, the award-winning actor enlisted a master craftsman shortly after he purchased the property to restore the ranch’s centerpiece, an 1850s farmhouse, to its original state.
Jane Seymour and rocker Mick Jagger also offer upscale accommodations to people like you and me. Jagger even sprinkles his hotel’s rooms with memorabilia from past tour stops. Ditto for music industry icon Chris Blackwell, the man who introduced the world to the likes of Bob Marley and U2. He owns a string of resorts in his home of Jamaica (including the exclusive Goldeneye, once owned by James Bond creator and author, Ian Fleming) and adds personal touches (e.g. collectables from his famous clients) in the rooms of his resorts that you won’t find at other mainstream properties.
And speaking of Blackwell’s famous buddies, Bono and The Edge of U2 fame own the hip Clarence Hotel in the heart of Dublin, Ireland. In France, “Gigi” star Leslie Caron oversees the Auberge La Lucarne aux Chouettes (Owl’s Nest Inn), a country inn set amid renovated 18th-century buildings in a small village of Burgundy. And in Bermuda actor Michael Douglas is a shareholder in Ariel Sands, a resort property and hotel in Bermuda that takes its name from Shakespeare’s “Tempest” and has been in the Douglas family for decades.
If you are looking for a tropical eco-friendly destination to visit consider heading to Belize. That’s where actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s Blackadore Caye resort is under construction. The movie star is turning a 104-acre island off the coast of Belize into an exclusive resort where tourist can visit and not worry about leaving a carbon footprint. Belize is also where Francis Ford Coppola filmed “Apocalypse Now.” Today the legendary director owns three resorts in the area, including two in Belize (Turtle Inn and Blancaneaux) and one in the Guatemalan rainforest (La Lancha).
Would you consider staying at a celebrity owned hotel?
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