8 Locations in California You’ve Seen on Screen and Can Stay At (2025)

California is brimming with cool and aesthetically pleasing locations, it is extremely photogenic, and a paradise for filmmakers and photographers. The Golden State has seen a lot of cameras and famous movie sets all throughout its rich history, some of which have produced the world’s most iconic pieces of media. From hotels to restaurants to houses, when you’re strolling down the streets of California you are sure to find one if not many places that are familiar to you, perhaps seen in a recent movie you’ve watched?

Movie locations in Los Angeles

When we think of some of the most famous and iconic movies, there are always a few that pop up in our mind that has been shot in the bright city of Los Angeles, like La La Land, or Fast & Furious. For all the movie buffs out there, have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend a night in a hotel where your favorite actor shot a scene? To be in the same space as these creative minds were in, people that came together to give life to scenes we still think about after having watched them so long ago. Well, look no further, because we’re to help you experience that authentic California movie experience. To go through the list of endless movie locations in the city would be impossible, as there are just so many, but here are a few movie hotels that will get your blood pumping.

1. The Beverly Wilshire Hotel

Everyone knows Pretty Woman, a romance movie starring Julia Robert, about a high-class businessman who falls in love with a prostitute, quite an interesting premise. The movie takes us all over Los Angeles, specifically in Beverly Hills where we see the iconic clothes shopping scene. Among the real-life places featured in these scenes is the infamous Beverly Wilshire Hotel located on Rodeo Drive, the luxurious hotel where Viviane (Julia Roberts) gets a taste of the good life, a world she has never belonged in. The prestigious Regent Beverly Hotel, as it was named in the movie, is a working hotel where you can stay in. Experience the luxury and magnificence of this famous hotel once more but in person this time.

2. Ocean Lodge Santa Monica Beach Hotel

Located in Santa Monica, this retro kitschy hotel is right next to the beach, making it a very versatile hotel to lodge in. This hotel was featured in Amazon’s legal drama series called Goliath, depicting the scenes where the main character, Billy Mcbridge (Billy Bob Thornton), takes refuge as he hides from the stressful events of his life, after a bitter divorce and leaving his firm.

3. Safari Inn

Another California movie with scenes in a hotel you can stay overnight at is the Safari Inn. Quentin Tarantino’s and Tony Scott’s crime flick True Romance uses the hotel as a hideout for protagonists Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) and Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) 0n the run after they cross the wrong people. The actual Safari Inn is located in Burbank, where you can also pretend to be on the run after having saved your lover from the hands of a bad guy. The hotel itself is a very well-kept historic landmark, with a long history in filmmaking, and it is conveniently very close to popular motion picture studios like NBC and Universal Studios.

The thirteenth largest city in the United States has no shortage of interesting movie places to take into consideration when visiting. The San Francisco movie scene has quite a long history as well, home to some extremely popular series and films including Full House, Escape from Alcatraz, the Streets of San Francisco, and many more.

4. Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Serving as a movie set for some scenes in the 1995 crime-thriller Jade, the iconic Palace Hotel is the oldest one in San Francisco. With such a rich history, this hotel will no doubt be worth your time, with a turn-of-the-20th-century elegance and a large number of rooms to choose from.

5. InterContinental Mark Hopkins

Yet another hotel with a rich past with filmmaking, the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel holds a very regal presence, almost as if it knows what it’s worth. Featured in various pieces of media, of which the more famous ones include the action/crime 1993 Sudden Impact movie starring Clint Eastwood as Inspector Harry Calahan.

6. Fairmont Hotel

The Fairmont Hotel has become a silver screen icon after being featured in so many popular movies, the most known one being Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary Vertigo. The Fairmont hotel was supposedly the director’s favorite hotel, which is why he decided to use it as a movie set for his creative works. Beautiful luxurious rooms are part of what sets it apart from other hotels of the same grade.

Other movie locations in California

7. The Lafayette Hotel

We can’t make a list of movie locations without mentioning the 80s classic Top Gun. Follow the dramatic adventures of Pete Maverick Mitchel (Tom Cruise) as he avoids rank advancement that would ground him. The Lafayette Hotel served as a shooting location for the hilariously embarrassing scene of Tom Cruise serenading “You’ve lost that loving feeling” in the Mississippi Ballroom of the hotel. The Lafayette Hotel, located in San Diego, has since begun hosting karaoke nights and parties in that same ballroom, where you too can give a shot at beating Tom Cruise’s singing skills. So you can both stay in the hotel and attend the events hosted there.

8. Hotel Del Coronado