Fictional Hotels in Films: The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Grand Budapest Hotel boasts a stellar cast, including Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Jude Law, and Jeff Goldblum, among many others. However, the true star of the film is the hotel itself. Set in the fictional Eastern European state of Zubrowka (inspired by the spa city of Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, and named after a Polish bison grass vodka), the film tells a short history of Eastern Europe in the 20th century through the lens of this once-grand establishment.
We witness the hotel in its gilded 1930s heyday, bask in its opulent glow, and then watch as the ravages of time and the Soviet era gradually erode its grandeur. Finally, we find it transformed into a faded relic, the inspiration for a cherished book in the present day. This ambitious narrative demanded a remarkable feat of production design. To capture the passage of time within the same in-film space, the filmmakers ingeniously constructed multiple sets, each intricately layered within the others, like a cinematic Russian nesting doll.
Production designer Adam Stockhausen, a frequent collaborator of director Wes Anderson who also worked on The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Isle of Dogs (2018), and The French Dispatch (2021), describes the filmmaking process of The Grand Budapest Hotel as akin to solving a complex puzzle. He candidly admits that The Grand Budapest Hotel presented one of the most formidable challenges of his illustrious career, a sentiment echoed by his experience crafting the intricate stage design for Charlie Kaufman’s film-within-a-film Synecdoche, New York (2008).
Background
Before traveling to Europe for location scouting, Wes Anderson and Adam Stockhausen conducted extensive research, studying archival photographs of numerous hotels across various locations, including London, Scotland, and Switzerland. This research provided a foundation for their exploration, allowing them to identify potential sites that aligned with their vision for the film.
During their European travels, Anderson and Stockhausen drew significant inspiration from the historical narratives embedded within the real-world locations they encountered. A poignant example was a local civic centre, once a testament to architectural grandeur, now left to decay. Stockhausen vividly recalls the hammer marks that marred the intricate carvings, a stark reminder of the passage of time and the erosion of beauty.
The town of Karlovy Vary in Czech Republic, with its picturesque pastel-coloured buildings lining the riverfront and its collection of elegant hotels perched on overlooking hills, perfectly captured the desired aesthetic and mood for the film. Its unique atmosphere ultimately inspired the choice of this location as the primary outdoor shooting site.
Bristol Palace Hotel
While Grandhotel Pupp is often cited as the primary aesthetic inspiration for Wes Anderson’s fictional Grand Budapest Hotel, the Bristol Palace Hotel in Karlovy Vary bears a more striking resemblance to the film’s iconic structure. Its distinctive pink facade, adorned with mansard roof, dormer windows, flanking turrets, and a stag atop its peak, was remarkably replicated in the film, creating a visually striking homage that almost appears like a hyper-realistic, larger-than-life version of the Bristol Palace.
The Bristol Palace Hotel is an integral part of the Bristol Group complex, a collection of seven buildings developed by two prominent Karlovy Vary families: the esteemed physician Dr. Willem Fasolt and the renowned hotelier family, the Tellers. Between 1872 and 1908, they constructed several properties in the tranquil “Westend” district of the city, including the Bristol Villa (now the Bristol Palace Hotel), Königsvila (Královská Villa), Teresa (Tereza), and Fasolt (now Livia), all intended to provide a haven for hospitality and relaxation.
Designed by Viennese architects Hans Schidl and Alfred Bayer in the spirit of Viennese historicism, the Bristol Palace Hotel showcases a captivating blend of architectural styles inspired by castle architecture. Recognised as one of the most valuable and visually appealing buildings in the Czech Republic, the iconic Bristol Palace Hotel should not be confused with the larger Hotel Bristol, the main building within the Bristol Group complex. The latter was constructed on the site of a former Jewish synagogue, tragically destroyed during the Nazi-orchestrated Kristallnacht in 1938.
Grandhotel Pupp
While Adam Stockhausen often cited Grandhotel Pupp as a major inspiration for The Grand Budapest Hotel, many believe the film draws more inspiration from the hotel’s dramatic location — perched on a hill, surrounded by forest, and overlooking the town of Karlovy Vary — and its overall sense of grandeur.
The 228-room Grandhotel Pupp significantly surpasses the Bristol Palace Hotel in size and age. Its history dates back to 1907 with the construction of the Saxony Hall by Anton Deiml, then Mayor of Karlovy Vary. Subsequently, Mayor Becher built the Bohemian Hall on adjacent land, creating direct competition. The Pupp family acquired the Saxony Hall in 1776 and later the Bohemian Hall in 1890. Between 1896 and 1907, renowned Viennese architects Fellner & Helmer transformed these family-owned buildings into the neo-Baroque Grandhotel Pupp that stands today. This rich and intricate history is meticulously detailed on the hotel’s official website.
Grandhotel Pupp boasts a distinguished guest list, having welcomed a diverse array of luminaries throughout its history. From the intellectual giants like Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud and Czech writer Franz Kafka to renowned composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Richard Wagner, and even historical figures like Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin and statesmen Napoleon Bonaparte and Otto von Bismarck, the hotel has played host to a veritable who’s who of history.
Grandhotel Pupp made a cinematic appearance in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, where it served as the fictional Hotel Splendide, set in Montenegro.
Görlitz Warenhaus
Wes Anderson sought a realistic location for filming the Grand Budapest Hotel’s interiors and discovered the vacant Görlitz department store, an abandoned building that allowed complete artistic control and time flexibility. This twentieth-century Görlitz Warenhaus, with its impressive atrium, became the centrepiece of the production. The atrium itself was transformed into the hotel lobby, while the open galleries of the surrounding floors were adapted into hotel corridors, complete with meticulously placed hotel rooms.
To furnish these spaces, the production team meticulously sourced furniture and decor from various eras, ensuring authenticity within the film’s timeline. The top two floors of the department store were repurposed to house production offices and storage for cameras and wardrobe. During the ten-week shoot in early 2013, the entire film crew, including actors Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, and Ralph Fiennes, resided at the neighbouring Hotel Börse.
The site of the Görlitz Warenhaus has a rich history. In 1717, it housed the “Goldener Strauß” (Golden Ostrich) inn, which later expanded into a hotel. Inspired by the renowned Wertheim department store on Leipziger Platz in Berlin, the Görlitz city council envisioned a similar establishment at this location. Potsdam architect Carl Schmanns designed the “department store at the ostrich,” and construction commenced in 1912 after the demolition of the existing hotel. Built with a steel skeleton and adorned with an Art Nouveau facade, the department store opened to the public on 30 September 1913.
The Görlitz Warenhaus experienced multiple changes in ownership, and at one point, Anderson even considered purchasing the building to prevent its demolition. In June 2013, investor Winfried Stöcker acquired the property with plans to revive it as a department store. However, the reopening faced numerous delays, initially planned for 2016 and then for the fall of 2017, due to the realisation that extensive restoration and renovation were necessary.
In November 2020, the project encountered a significant setback when a dispute arose concerning the demolition of two neighboring buildings. Stöcker sought to demolish these structures to improve delivery access to the store and a nearby parking garage. However, the local landmark preservation office mandated their preservation. This impasse led to Stöcker threatening to abandon the entire project if demolition was not permitted.
The smallest details
Occasionally, the scope of a film’s vision surpasses the limitations of physical sets. In such instances, the filmmakers must employ creative solutions. For The Grand Budapest Hotel, this involved a skillful blend of practical and digital techniques, utilizing matte paintings and miniature effects to convincingly create the illusion of grandeur and scale. Wes Anderson, while primarily favouring practical filmmaking, recognises the value of post-production techniques like visual effects, colour timing, and other digital enhancements, when necessary.
This approach is evident from the very beginning of the film. The introduction scene to the hotel involves a sweeping horizontal movement across the landscape. It culminates in a dramatic reveal of the hotel perched majestically atop a hill, with a funicular ascending towards it. This specific image was intentionally created using miniatures, as no such location exists in reality. This technique harkens back to the classic Hollywood tradition of utilising models to achieve desired cinematic effects.
Under the guidance of Simon Weisse, a team of skilled prop makers at Studio Babelsberg in Berlin meticulously constructed scale models of the structures, working in tandem with the production team at the Görlitz Warenhaus. The Grand Budapest Hotel set, featuring the hotel building atop a wooded ledge complete with a funicular, was meticulously crafted. This was further enhanced by a Friedrichian landscape painting seamlessly integrated with green-screen technology. The 3-meter-high hotel model was meticulously sculpted using silicone resin molds and adorned with intricate brass embellishments. To create the illusion of light, photographs of the Görlitz Warenhaus set were strategically placed within the model’s windows.
To achieve the aged, brutalist aesthetic of the Soviet-era Grand Budapest Hotel, the visual effects team employed a combination of computer-generated models, intricate lighting, matte effects, and carefully orchestrated shadows. A similar technique was utilised to create the observatory, where the base miniature was constructed in separate pieces. The observatory was rendered with 20 distinct elements, with the final digital rendering refined further at Anderson’s request, requiring approximately one hour per shot.
Costume designer Milena Canonero meticulously captured the essence of each character through their wardrobe. While the hotel uniforms adhered to the stylistic conventions of the 1930s, the color palette was intentionally unconventional. The majority of the costumes were crafted within the Görlitz Warenhaus workshop, with additional pieces sourced from Berlin-based Theaterkunst and the uniforms produced by a Polish workshop. The filmmakers drew inspiration from renowned artists such as photographers Man Ray and George Hurrell, and painters Gustav Klimt, Kees van Dongen, Tamara de Lempicka, and George Grosz.
Just as Wes Anderson enlisted Marc Jacobs, then creative director of Louis Vuitton, to design period-inspired suitcases for The Darjeeling Limited, he commissioned Miuccia Prada to create a 21-piece set of luggage for Madame D. (Tilda Swinton) and Concierge Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Drawing inspiration from the 1920s and 1930s, when Prada primarily focused on leather goods, the luggage showcases exquisite turn-of-the-century finishes and the iconic Grana Paglia pattern. While not a central plot point, these meticulously crafted pieces leave a lasting impression on the viewer.
Graphic design
Wes Anderson enlisted graphic designer Annie Atkins to bring the fictional world of The Grand Budapest Hotel to life. Previously an art director at McCann Erickson in Reykjavik, Iceland, Atkins was relatively new to film design. She meticulously designed nearly every on-screen artefact bearing text — ubrowka money, police reports, passports, telegrams, pastry packaging, perfume lettering, and even a prison map.
To achieve this, Atkins drew inspiration from reference materials meticulously collected by herself, Anderson, and production designer Adam Stockhausen during extensive location scouting. Her dedication was evident in her meticulous process, often sketching 20 variations of a single artefact by hand daily. This painstaking effort paid off, allowing her to keep cherished mementos like the iconic The Grand Budapest Hotel book, a Mendl’s box, and a bloodstained telegram from Serge the butler.
Atkins’s attention to detail extended beyond the screen. She adapted the hotel’s entrance sign from a 1930s metal sign Anderson discovered in Cairo, creating a hand-drawn version with somewhat uneven, jaunty serifs. Even objects unseen on screen, like Ralph Fiennes’ character Gustave H’s notebook, received meticulous consideration. Fiennes preferred lined pages, though, reflecting the character’s personality, a detail that Wes loves.
The fictional newspapers in The Grand Budapest Hotel — The Trans Alpine Yodel, The Daily Fact, and The Continental Drift — showcase Anderson’s meticulousness. He wrote every story, regardless of on-screen appearance or relevance to the main plot, and Atkins designed each newspaper accordingly. Authenticity was paramount. Atkins even studied Hitler’s calling card to design a business card for a fascist character in the film.
For those seeking to replicate the “aged” look of props, Atkins offers a practical tip: use three Barry’s tea bags to age paper by ten years. Even if props are new within the film’s narrative, the audience expects an “old” aesthetic for a period piece.
Digital
To further immerse audiences in the world of The Grand Budapest Hotel, a fictional website called the Akademie Zubrowka was created. This online platform, reminiscent of the 1960s, offered a series of stylised lessons on the history of the fictional Republic of Zubrowka.
Designed to seamlessly blend the aesthetics of the late 1960s with the 1930s setting of the film, the Akademie Zubrowka website mimicked a microfiche machine, complete with a navigational wheel to guide viewers through the digital “slides.” Photographs were meticulously recreated to resemble hand-coloured black-and-white prints, further enhancing the nostalgic ambiance.
Watson Digital, working closely with Fox Searchlight and director Wes Anderson himself, produced the entire site in-house. This collaborative effort allowed Anderson to fully explore and develop the stylised fictional world he envisioned, including an unusual amount of written content. While this presented a design challenge, the team embraced the opportunity to work directly with the director to bring his vision to life.
The Akademie Zubrowka was met with enthusiastic reception from fans of Anderson’s work. It provided a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the film’s world and was featured in publications such as Variety and MovieWeb.
Unfortunately, the Akademie of Zubrowka website was discontinued around 2018. However, interested viewers can still explore it through the Wayback Machine. Alternatively, if you ever had the pleasure of staying at the fictional Grand Budapest Hotel, you might consider sharing your experiences by writing a review on its (fictional) TripAdvisor page here.
The Grand Budapest Hotel was basically a critical darling, showing up on tons of critics’ “best of” lists. Everyone raved about how incredibly well-crafted it was, especially its zany vibe and that signature Wes Anderson touch. On Rotten Tomatoes, a whopping 92% of 319 critics gave it the thumbs up, while Metacritic gave it a fancy score of 88 out of 100 based on 48 reviews. The film’s Akademie Zubrowka also won numerous awards including one Webby in 2015.
At the 87th Academy Awards, the film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing. It ultimately won awards for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Original Score, which you can hear below.
Fictional Hotels in Films Series
This series explores how iconic fictional hotels become central to compelling cinematic storytelling.
