The best (and worst) celebrity-owned hotels

Celebrity side hustles have long been a way for A-listers to pursue creative passions (and make a few extra dollars while they’re at it).

But success relies on more than just star power, and the highs and lows of the hospitality industry don’t discriminate.

There’s been a host of famous faces who’ve discovered the hard way that running – or even putting your name to – a hotel is no holiday, but some have fared better than others.

The hits

The Greenwich Hotel, New York
Robert De Niro

Benedict Cumberbatch recently named Robert De Niro’s Greenwich Hotel as one of his all-time favourites. And when fellow guests are more likely to be his peers than pesky prying normals, it’s clearly a smart pick in the city.

Since opening in 2008, the Tribeca mainstay has welcomed a galaxy of stars, including Beyoncé, Dakota Johnson and Tom Holland. They’re drawn to its home-from-home feel and oversized suites, a luxury in NYC that De Niro insisted on.

All 86 rooms reflect the actor’s self-described design aesthetic of masculinity-meets-comfort, while his father’s acclaimed artwork hangs proudly on the walls. Photography is banned in all public spaces. No wonder it’s a celeb-studded hit.

The Greenwich Hotel offers doubles from $2001 a night, including mini-bar snacks and use of house car on request.

Mission Ranch, California
Clint Eastwood

To say Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch was a labour of love is an understatement. The legendary actor and director saved the dilapidated property – where he celebrated his 21st birthday and had his first legal beer – from developers in 1986. He was mayor of the town at the time, and his $US5 million (the equivalent of $22.3 million in 2026) purchase opened the spending floodgates, with a renovation that battled termites, faulty wiring and leaking gas pipes.

Seven years – and several more millions into the project – later, he told Architectural Digest that he’d consider it a success if it broke even in his lifetime. It seems to have paid off: Eastwood, now 96, has since called Mission Ranch an excellent investment – and a whole lot of fun.

Mission Ranch offers doubles from $247 a night.

Palazzo Margherita, Italy
Francis Ford Coppola

Of all of Francis Ford Coppola’s hotels, Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda is surely the most personal. His grandfather was born in the Basilicata town, and Coppola became a repeat visitor to this slice of old Italy. In 2004, he was convinced to lay roots there too, partly spurred on by a government subsidy for new businesses, which never materialised – something The Godfather director was openly bitter about.

His frustration makes sense: his beautiful “painted palace” still draws moneyed guests to the area, and recently hosted Dua Lipa and Callum Turner’s dreamy Italian honeymoon. Other notable elements? Coppola’s meticulous attention to detail, from the hotel’s monogram to the ratio of herbs used in the kitchen’s dishes.

Palazzo Margherita offers doubles from $2203 a night, including breakfast and a cooking lesson.

Gwinganna Retreat and Spa, Queensland
Hugh Jackman

Gwinganna bills itself as a retreat for “gentle movement, expert guidance and deep rest” – an experience that for actor Hugh Jackman was so restorative, he bought a stake in the hotel after his first visit. That his long-time business partner and fellow fitness fanatic Tony de Leede is the retreat’s founder might have had something to do with it too.

Aside from a handful of social media posts, Jackman generally keeps mum about this luxurious, caffeine-free stay in the Gold Coast hinterland. Perhaps, as he said on one Instagram story, it’s because he’s “keen to visit again. And again”.

Gwinganna Retreat & Spa offers two-night wellness retreats from $1750 a night, including all meals, a wellness seminar and activities.

The flops

J Hotel, New York
Jay-Z

Even the wealthiest musician of all time (worth an eye-watering $US2.8 billion) couldn’t clear every hurdle on his way to the top. Hit by the 2008 financial crisis, the rapper and entrepreneur had to abandon his plans for the flagship J Hotel in New York’s Chelsea neighbourhood.

It was pegged as a full-service five-star hotel, something his business partner believed the area sorely lacked. Unable to secure funding for the rebuild, Jay-Z offloaded the property back to its investors – but not before suing them for $US3.7 million, for fees and interest accrued during a drawn-out transfer.

Rigsby’s Guest House, Hertford
Rupert Grint

Actor Rupert Grint famously bought an ice-cream van with his Harry Potter earnings, but that was all fun. His parents’ Grade II-listed Rigsby’s Guest House, in which Grint was the sole shareholder, seemed a more serious venture. It even competed on Four in a Bed in 2013 to (mostly) high praise and won.

But glowing reviews and a reality TV crown do not a good business make. It closed less than three years later, having made a meagre £2014 (about $3900) profit in four years. Strangely, its adjoining restaurant proved far more popular, lasting a few more years before closing in 2019.

The Big Sleep, various UK locations
John Malkovich

In the early 2000s, being John Malkovich wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, with the actor’s Big Sleep hotel chain failing to truly take off. Described as “Travelodge with sex appeal”, its Cardiff, Cheltenham and Eastbourne properties were imagined as affordable accommodation with a boutique feel.

Despite a keen interest in interiors, Malkovich himself wasn’t involved in the Formica-and-fur-forward design. Still, his association with the chain prompted fans to send letters to the Cardiff hotel, often offering advice such as to “loosen up a bit”.

His business partners sold up in 2015, though the hotels survive under the Citrus Hotels banner.

Blackadore Caye, Belize
Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio’s private island resort has been in the works for more than two decades, and there’s still no opening date in sight. Alongside hotelier Jeff Gram, the Titanic star bought 42-hectare Blackadore Caye for a cool $US1.75 million in 2005, with plans to transform it into a luxury eco-village.

Environmentalist DiCaprio envisioned the project restoring the island, which suffers from mangrove loss and erosion. It was set to open in 2018, but regulatory red tape, environmental concerns and calls to protect the local fly-fishing industry have continued to stall plans.

Should it eventually materialise, designs by Jean-Michel Gathy, whose previous work includes resorts for ultra-luxury Aman and One&Only, show pared-back bungalows set among the palms.

The Telegraph, London