Historians Reveal the Secrets Behind Marilyn Monroe's Favorite Places to Live, Work and Play as the Star Turns 100 (Exclusive)

Colson ThayerMon, June 1, 2026 at 8:14 PM UTC

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Marilyn Monroe at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1958
Credit: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty -

Marilyn Monroe frequently stayed at luxurious hotels like California's Hotel Bel-Air and Beverly Hills Hotel for privacy and comfort

Her time at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York marked a career shift as she launched her own production company

Fans continue to visit locations like Hotel Del Coronado, where she filmed Some Like It Hot, to connect with Monroe's legacy and old Hollywood glamour in the decades after her death

On Monday, June 1 on what would be the actress' 100th birthday, Marilyn Monroe continues to be the ultimate icon of old Hollywood glamour. Her contributions to the film industry are still present even 63 years after her death. But beyond the silver screen, Monroe left her mark on some of the world's most luxurious properties.

During the height of her career, The Seven Year Itchstar frequently graced the country's most elusive hotels and resorts that combined the most lavish offerings while prioritizing her safety and privacy. Now, more than seven decades later, historians and experts at some of Monroe's favorite places are offering PEOPLE new insight into her stays.

Marilyn Monroe attends an awards ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel in March 1954
Credit: Bettmann/Getty

On the west coast, Monroe had two primary sanctuaries she would use to escape the hustle and bustle of nearby Tinseltown. In the 1950s, she began frequenting the Hotel Bel-Air with her then-husband Joe DiMaggio. Tiffany Lai, the current hotel manager at the property, cites the property's privacy as a primary draw for the star — specifically around the pool.

“It's very elegant and it's very kind of tucked away, but it's very inviting,” Lai tells PEOPLE. “We know that she enjoyed her time in that section of the hotel.” As a guest, Monroe was likely brushing elbows with other old Hollywood stars like Cary Grant and Elizabeth Taylor.

After countless visits, Monroe once again returned to the property for an iconic photoshoot with Bert Stern. The session, known as The Last Sitting, took place in June 1962 just six weeks before her death on Aug. 4 at 36 years old. “What was great about those photographs is, yes, some of them are posed, some of them you can tell it's a photographer saying this or that, but you can see that it's so natural,” Lai says of Monroe's relaxed state at the Hotel Bel-Air. “Her stance was natural— everything about her smile and her look.”

Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller attend the April in Paris ball at the Waldorf-Astoria in 1957
Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty

Located less than three miles away, the Beverly Hills Hotel was another one of Monroe's favorites. “She has a long history with the hotel,” general manager John Scanlon says. “She lived on property and off property in several of our bungalows… One and Seven were her favorites and she would often stay in bungalows 20 and 21 when she was here filming.”

During her stays throughout the 1950s, Monroe brought both DiMaggio and her third husband, Arthur Miller. In the Polo Lounge, the “very small” yet "beautiful" table number six quickly became synonymous with the actress.

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In the spring of 1955, Monroe moved to New York City and began living at the Waldorf-Astoria, which “represented an important transitional period in her life,” author and historian David Freeland shared in a statement with PEOPLE. Fresh out of her split with DiMaggio, Monroe wanted a career “restart” and launched her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, Inc.

Crowds surround Marilyn Monroe on the set of 'Some Like It Hot'
Credit: Richard C. Miller/Donaldson Collection/Getty

“Monroe's apartment was on the 27th floor of the Waldorf Towers. It only had three rooms, so it did not qualify as one of the larger suites,” Freeland says of her abode, which was separate from the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. “It's been observed that Marilyn's life in New York was quite different from what it had been in Hollywood. She wanted it this way. Because she saw her time in the city as representative of a break from the west coast and its pressures, she dressed (it's been said) inconspicuously, wore little makeup, went to acting class, and tried to live her life as a New Yorker.”

Monroe focused on her production company for a few years before studio pressure brought her back into the thrall of Hollywood. In 1958, she signed on to star in Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot, which would take her to San Diego's iconic Hotel Del Coronado. Filming began in the fall of the same year.

“Marilyn had not been in Hollywood for two years… so this was a really big deal that she was back,” Gina Petrone, the beachside resort's heritage strategist, tells PEOPLE. Unlike the typical closed sets she had while filming in the studio, Some Like It Hot was filmed outside on the beach, attracting hundreds of onlookers.

Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis on the steps of the Hotel del Coronado for 'Some Like It Hot'
Credit: Screen Archives/Getty

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Petrone described one alleged fan encounter in which a boy walking his dog walked right up to Monroe and her two bodyguards. The actress reportedly commented on the cute dog and the boy froze. “He just kind of looked at her with a strange expression and she said, ‘I'll give you a kiss,' ” Petrone explains. “The little boy just got horrified and shook his head and ran off with his dog. And he's a Coronado resident today, I believe.”

Although Monroe hasn't graced these properties in well over 60 years, they continue to be a constant draw for film buffs and tourists alike. “People feel such a connection to her and I'm so thrilled that there's places like the Del and older places where people can go and feel a connection to her in a little more tangible way,” Petrone says. “They just want to know where on the beach she stood, because they want to stand in that exact spot and that's really the magic of these places that still exist.”

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