“Scenes had to be choreographed around the normal life of the hotel, and we built our own reception desk so that real guests weren’t inconvenienced. But they did allow us to shoot in the spacious lobby, their dining room, corridors and in the kitchen, below stairs. The access was remarkable, especially for such a busy hotel.”

However one sequence involved stunts and pyrotechnics that would be impractical for the location. Instead, the production design team built a replica of the hotel’s ballroom on a stage at Studio Babelsberg, the world’s oldest major film studio, established nearly 100 years ago. They did film the aftermath of an explosion outside at the real location, and the art department created craters of debris and destruction around the Adlon exterior. The filmmakers were amused to learn that, thanks to the city’s thriving avant-garde art scene, many passersby stopped to ask if it was some sort of art installation, and who the artist was.

Yannick Alléno: Le Meurice
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Christophe Saintagne: Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée
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Jean-François Piège: Jean-François Piège at Thoumieux...weeks after the gastronomic restaurant opened, Piège unveiled 15 small hotel rooms, also located above Thoumieux and designed by Mahdavi. Checking in for the entire experience means getting to taste the chef’s homemade preserves at breakfast.

They rented out all the rooms