The 8 best hotels for celebrity sightings outside LA

With awards season upon us, it’s easy to glue our eyes to the TV screen and wish we were among the masses craning our necks along the red carpet at the Grammy’s, Golden Globes or Academy Awards in hopes of a glimpse of the likes of Jennifer Lawrence or Kendrick Lamar. But you don’t need a ticket to Los Angeles to see a celebrity up close and in the flesh. The jet set are always on the move and often bedding down for the night at a hotel near you. Here are eight great hotels for celebrity sightings in cities across the country—and one in Canada.

Also: The 4 best Los Angeles hotels for celebrity sightings.

Photo: Hazelton Hotel

Hazelton Hotel: Toronto, ON
Canada’s largest city is a mecca for the rich and famous, many of whom converge upon this quintessentially cool metropolis for megawatt events like the celebrated Toronto International Film Festival every September. Their hotels of choice are many and varied, but we can confirm that Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Clive Owen and Ben Affleck have all been spotted at the contemporary and luxurious Hazelton in Yorkeville near the University of Toronto.

Cosmopolitan Hotel, Las Vegas

The Cosmopolitan: Las Vegas, NV
Sin City hotels and resorts are crawling with celebs due in part to the fact that most contain a plethora of performing arts venues and luxe rooms. But the Cosmopolitan with its mid-Strip location, glittery Chandelier Bar, stunning city views and Marquee Nightclub has been know to attract high wattage celebrities over the years including Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Beyonce. So if you’re pressing your luck on a celebrity sighting in Vegas, this certainly would be one hotel in which to do it.

Photo: Peninsula Chicago

Peninsula Hotel: Chicago, IL
This luxurious Windy City winner has racked up numerous accolades over the years and has several times been named the best hotel in the world. It also doesn’t hurt that the Peninsula Chicago is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile and has gorgeous rooms and three stunning on-site restaurants. No wonder the likes of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Ellen and numerous others love it so much.

Standard Hotel, New York

The Standard Hotel: New York, NY
We love this swanky mini-chain of hip hotels that have popped up in celebrity hot spots like Miami, New York and Los Angeles in recent years. The Standard boasts two Manhattan locations including an East Village outpost where the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Kanye West and Lady Gaga have showed up in recent years as well as a Chelsea location above the Highline Park where Madonna showed up to film her video for “Bitch, I’m Madonna” with the likes of Diplo, Chris Rock and Rita Ora in tow.

Also: These are some of Los Angeles’ coolest hotel bars

Photo: Le Parker Meridien, Palm Springs

The Parker: Palm Springs, CA
This desert city has been a Hollywood getaway destination for nearly 100 years and during that time tons of classic hotels have hosted the celebrity set. These days a great place for star sightings is the Jonathan Adler-designed cheeky chic Parker, a retro desert stunner which was originally built in 1959 as a Holiday Inn, one of many incarnations that has hosted the likes of and Barbra Streisand, Robert Downey Jr., Lauren Bacall and John Travolta. As the Parker, it’s hotter than ever and celebs such as Kathy Griffin, Teri Hatcher, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Jonah Hill, Adrien Brody, Lake Bell and Liam Neeson.

Photo: Hotel Jerome

Hotel Jerome: Aspen, CO
Come Groundhog’s Day, movie star Bill Murray isn’t hanging out in the Northeast with Punxsutawney Phil in rural Pennsylvania, but rather relaxing in Aspen at the Hotel Jerome, whose nondescript facade betrays its luxurious interior and penchant for attracting A-list celebs including Jack Nicholson, Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas and Cameron Diaz, Gerard Butler and Josh Hartnett and Jessica Biel. Take a seat at the J-Bar in season and let the neck craning begin.

Photo: Fontainebleau Hotel

Fontainebleau Hotel: Miami Beach, FL
At times it can feel like Miami Beach is nothing more than a sizzling celebrity playground under the sun and that’s certainly true at this drop-dead gorgeous South Florida icon which reopened a few years ago and has been a revolving door for the rich and famous ever since. Confirmed celebrity sightings at the Fontainebleau include Kate Hudson, Alex Rodriguez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amanda Bynes, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Sean Combs, Nick Lachey, Jennifer Lopez and many others.

Photo: Phoenix Hotel

The Phoenix: San Francisco, CA
Before the concept of quirky cool hotels like the Ace or Freehand ever existed there was the Phoenix, a funky, former mid-century motor lodge in the down and out Tenderloin neighborhood of SF which opened in the late 80s and has since that time become a hot spot for musicians and rock stars. We love its awesome pool, funky rooms and affordability. We also love that David Bowie, Little Richard, REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Norah Jones, the Killers, and Bloc Party have stayed here.

Tagged: California, Celebrity picks, Florida, Hotels, Las Vegas, Midwest, New York