Star turns at Leading Hotels

MANILA, Philippines - Travel is ubiquitous in films and inspires people to escape everyday life and see the world. To honor the bond between film and travel, and to celebrate the 85th anniversaries of both Leading Hotels and the Academy Awards, Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) is turning the spotlight on the star turns of its hotels. The new LHW in the Movies section of the website features 85 films and their corresponding hotels with behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes from filming.

While the Leading Hotels featured in movies are stars in and of themselves, research bears out the striking correlation between cinema and travel. A recent survey by TCI Research, estimates that last year, approximately 40 million international tourists chose their travel destination primarily because they had seen a film shot in that country.

Whether the writers and directors of such classics as The Quiet Man — shot at Ashford Castle; Midnight in Paris, featuring Le Bristol; The Man Who Knew Too Much, featuring La Mamounia; or Notting Hill, featuring The Ritz London were moved by images they had seen in other films to set their own works in evocative locations abroad, there is little question that these movies themselves have inspired travelers to visit. There are 85 films, 85 hotels and 85 stories to be told.

Leading Hotels president and CEO Ted Teng notes, “Hollywood writers and directors have long appreciated the mythical qualities of our member hotels, choosing them as backdrops for their films, and those films have been inspiring dreams of faraway places. For more than eight decades, Leading Hotels have been enabling travelers to live those dreams. We take pride in our 85-year legacy of helping people gain insight into other cultures, and offering them the opportunity to experience the authenticity of the destinations they have chosen to explore.”

Throughout the new Leading Hotels directory, there is an icon on select hotel pages, designating that the property has been featured on the big screen. 

And, for the first time in its 85-year history, LHW has partnered with filmmakers to help shine the spotlight on its properties and the fascinating — and often secret — behind-the-scenes world of hotel inspectors. The splendor of the LHW collection â€” and the dedication to detail that go into becoming a part of this distinguished roster — will be featured on the big screen in the Italian major motion picture, Viaggio Sola (I Travel Alone), written and directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi and premiering in Rome in March. Starring noted Italian actors Marguerita Buy and Stefano Accorsi, the film is centered on Irene, a Rome-based Leading Hotels inspector who is trying to balance her work life with its glamorous destinations and luxurious hotels, with her “real” life of daily routines and complicated relationships. The film was shot on location around the world in 2012, and includes visits to seven Leading Hotels.

(For the complete list and behind the scenes stories of the 85 movies filmed at The Leading Hotel of the World, visit www.LHW.com/InTheMovies.)