Writing exclusively for our new book Chic Stays, the singer-songwriter reveals why she loves the legendary Los Angeles star-magnet

I remember the first time I stayed here. It seemed like the haunted hotel ride at Disneyland and had an air of faded glamour about it - a sense of being lost and found at the same time. I remember singing at the piano one night, in the darkened living room, and I had the distinct impression that all the Chateau Marmont's hallways and passages led to rooms that were full of bright and brilliant yet chaotic people, all of whom had somehow converged at this one place on Sunset Boulevard: half sanctuary, half madhouse.


I love the big, beautiful blue rooms on the top floor, with their plush sofas and fires that I can never figure out how to turn on. I was at the Chateau around the time of the Grammys one year, and we all went to one of the after-parties, an occasion that resulted in me lying face down in a bathtub - luckily it was empty. My other memory from that night is of Baz Luhrmann doing a spectacular Mick Jagger impression far too close to the balcony for my liking. Then a few days later, we managed to miss all the Oscars after-parties, and I ended up back in my room at the Chateau dressed like a superhero unicorn from a Seventies sci-fi series. There was another occasion, a rather embarrassing moment, when I ended up doing squat thrusts in front of Josh Hartnett.

Florence Welch Tom Beard

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The garden is a great place to people-watch, to see which producer or actress or model or befuddled pop star (i.e. me) is sitting out there. I once even bumped into the guy who wrote 'You've Got the Love'. So my advice is to head here after you check in, jet-lagged and feeling pretty weird; it settles you nicely into LA. Then you should check out Musso & Frank's, on Hollywood Boulevard. The tuna salads are to die for. At the Chateau I usually have arancini and fresh lemonade. When we're being civilised, the band and I drink dirty Martinis, though there have been nights when we've ordered oversized bottles of vodka at ungodly hours. Oh, how I'd like to thank and apologise to all those lovely members of staff who catered to us on those somewhat saturated mornings! As for sleep, well, if there has been a big party, I leave a little shaken, though shaken up in a good way.


Taken from our beautiful new travel book 'Chic Stays: Condé Nast Traveller's Favourite People on Their Favourite Places' (£65, published by Assouline), out on 24 September 2016. Pre-order now at www.assouline.com/chic-stays/

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