Chateau Marmont

One of the hardest load-ins in Los Angeles.

The Chateau Marmont is one of the most iconic hotels in Los Angeles, standing over Sunset Boulevard since 1929, modeled after a French chateau and built for discretion. We have run a number of events there over the years, in its penthouse, out by the pool, and across its outdoor restaurant. Delivering a full production inside a building that old is the hard part.

Early on, we got the call to do the Chateau and we were thrilled. We called a friend in the business to share the news. All he said was good luck, and to call him when it was over. We didn't understand what he meant until we were in it. The night came out beautifully, but the load-in was one of the hardest we had ever done. When we called him afterward, he told us he had known all along, and that he wanted us to experience it for ourselves.

What it takes at the Chateau is logistics. The night itself is only part of the job. The rest is everything around it, prepping the gear, getting it there, and moving it in without anyone noticing. A building from 1929 was never designed for modern event production, with no loading dock and no easy path for gear. Every piece moves through the hotel by hand, along the same paths the guests take. Everything comes in carefully and quietly, up to the penthouse, out to the pool, and into the restaurant, without ever disturbing a guest. We learned the building the hard way, and we learned how to make it look easy.

We have been back many times since that first event, and now we know the building well. We know the routes in and out, the quietest way to move a full production through a hotel full of guests, and how to set up so the only thing anyone notices is how the night looks and sounds. At a place this iconic and challenging, that is the whole job.