From De Niro to Gere: The Luxury Hotels Hollywood Built for Itself

Forget just staying at a hotel when you vacation—what if you could sleep in the curated vision of Robert De Niro, Richard Gere, or Hugh Jackman? A wave of A-list celebrities have been quietly building their own hospitality empires, transforming everything from Queensland rainforests to Manhattan penthouses into destination retreats that reflect their personal philosophies on luxury, wellness, and design.

The trend isn’t new, but it’s definitely accelerating. These aren’t vanity projects slapped with a famous name and forgotten. Actor Robert De Niro opened The Greenwich Hotel in Manhattan’s TriBeCa neighborhood in 2008, designing it around his own aesthetic of what he calls“masculinity and comfort, executed with meticulous, refined craftsmanship.”The individually designed rooms pull inspiration from everywhere—Manhattan, Milano, Mumbai—while the in-house Locanda Verde restaurant from chef Andrew Carmellini keeps guests fed without ever leaving the building. Privacy is baked into every detail, with guest-only access to the lounge, spa, and pool.

On the other coast, the wellness retreat model has captured the imaginations of other stars entirely. Hugh Jackman co-owns Gwinganna Health Retreat inland from Queensland’s Gold Coast, where guests start mornings with sunrise qi gong sessions among wallabies, then move into boxing, hiking, water polo, and yoga. Everything circles back to clean eating—the retreat grows much of its own produce in organic gardens. Meanwhile, the late Olivia Newton-John co-founded Gaia Retreat&Spa near Byron Bay in New South Wales back in 2005, a 25-acre sanctuary designed to help guests reconnect with nature and their spiritual center. Newton-John was so proud of the property’s breakfast offerings that she told Forbes in 2020:“The best breakfast in the world is at Gaia. I can tell you that. I have eaten all over the world at every fancy restaurant, and the breakfast at Gaia is the best breakfast in the world.”

What’s striking about these properties is how deliberately they reflect each owner’s values. Richard Gere co-owns Bedford Post Inn, an eight-room property in Westchester County about an hour from Manhattan, with ex-wife Carey Lowell and friend Russell Hernandez. The pair discovered a vacant 1762 stone farmhouse during a horseback ride and restored it together, filling rooms with muted interiors, fireplaces, and claw-foot tubs designed by Lowell and decorator Tiffany Vassilakis. Actor Clint Eastwood has owned Mission Ranch in Carmel-by-the-Sea—a rustic, cottages-and-tennis property—since 1986, the same year he was elected mayor of the town.

Not every celebrity hospitality venture stays high-end. John Malkovich invested in Big Sleep, a budget hotel chain in the United Kingdom with properties in Cardiff, Cheltenham, and Eastbourne that emphasized modern décor and affordable rates. He even helped design the furniture and interior concept, though he eventually sold his stake around 2015. Meanwhile, music icons Gloria and Emilio Estefan brought their vision to Costa d’Este Beach Resort&Spa, a 94-room oceanfront property in Vero Beach, Florida that blends sunrise yoga, fresh seafood, and beachfront relaxation.

What these properties share is less about the price tag and more about intentionality. These celebrities aren’t just putting their names on existing buildings—they’re translating their own worldviews into spaces where strangers can live inside their aesthetic, even if just for a weekend. In an industry built on mass-market appeal, that specificity is surprisingly rare.