Inside the Luxe Hotels Secretly Owned by Hollywood A-Listers

Hollywood’s new status symbol isn’t a yacht—it’s a resort. From biohack-ready wellness sanctuaries to surf-lapped hideaways, stars are buying and branding escapes you can book—dive into the A-list guide, from the Gwinganna Health Retreat co-owned by Hugh Jackman to other luxe bolt-holes where you can vacation like your favorites.

Hollywood has a new side hustle: hotels and wellness retreats. Some are ultra-private, some are surprisingly down to earth, and all of them wear a bit of their famous owner on the sleeve. If you want sunrise qi gong with wallabies, a rustic cottage on the Northern California coast, or a TriBeCa hideout with a restaurant you have definitely heard of, start here.

Hugh Jackman - Gwinganna Health Retreat (Queensland, Australia )

Jackman is a co-owner of Gwinganna, a wellness retreat tucked inland from Queensland's Gold Coast that launched in 2006. The days are structured and screen-light by design: sunrise qi gong (think tai chi’s mellow cousin) often takes place outside while wallabies pass through, and the rest of the schedule swings from boxing and hiking to water polo and yoga. Meals lean clean and seasonal, with much of the produce grown on-site and served on an outdoor deck. It is the opposite of a cheat day, in a good way.

Olivia Newton-John - Gaia Retreat & Spa (Byron Bay region, New South Wales)

The late Grease icon co-founded Gaia in 2005 with Gregg Cave, Ruth Kalnin and Warwick Evans, building a 25-acre sanctuary near Byron Bay that takes its name from the ancient Greek mother goddess of the earth. The look and the programming both aim to reconnect you with nature and your spiritual center. Stays are built around personalized wellness packages tailored to your health and fitness goals, and the residential-style rooms and villas look out over rolling New South Wales countryside. It has become a go-to for travelers who want privacy without losing the personal touch.

"The best breakfast in the world is at Gaia," Newton-John told Forbes in 2020. "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."

Robert De Niro - The Greenwich Hotel (TriBeCa, New York City)

Opened in 2008, De Niro's TriBeCa property is built for low-key discretion and high craftsmanship. Rooms are individually designed and pull cues from Manhattan, Milano and Mumbai. Privacy is the point: the lounge, spa and pool are for guests only. Locanda Verde, chef Andrew Carmellini’s beloved restaurant, lives here too and handles private dining for hotel guests.

Designer David Rockwell shaped the place around De Niro’s taste for masculine comfort with exacting detail, and he has said the collaboration focused on making the building feel like part of the neighborhood rather than a statement piece. One telling detail: Rockwell says the team — with an extra push from a partner named Ira — obsessed over the brickwork so the masonry itself carried the design. Also worth noting: De Niro’s hospitality footprint runs wider than TriBeCa; he is a key figure behind the Nobu Hospitality hotel brand.

Richard Gere - Bedford Post Inn (Westchester County, New York)

About an hour north of Manhattan, Gere co-owns this eight-room inn with his ex-wife Carey Lowell and friend Russell Hernandez. The property sits on wooded grounds with a quiet pool and a yoga studio. The origin story is peak country romance: Gere and Lowell stumbled upon a vacant 1762 stone farmhouse on a horseback ride and decided to restore it. Lowell and decorator Tiffany Vassilakis designed the rooms with muted tones, fireplaces and claw-foot tubs — the whole place leans into its farmhouse roots without getting precious.

Clint Eastwood - Mission Ranch Hotel & Restaurant (Carmel-by-the-Sea, California)

Eastwood bought Mission Ranch in 1986 — the same year he was elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, a job he held until 1988 — and he has kept it in his portfolio for nearly four decades. Expect rustic cottages, a quietly romantic vibe and a tennis club, all aimed at visitors who want a calmer slice of the Northern California coast.

Gloria Estefan - Costa d'Este Beach Resort & Spa (Vero Beach, Florida)

Owned by Gloria and Emilio Estefan, this 94-room oceanfront resort in Vero Beach is built for sand, sun and spa time. The days start with sunrise yoga and tend to end with cocktails and fresh seafood. It fits neatly into the Florida coastal-resort lane, but the place has its own personality tied to Estefan’s long-running connection to Florida’s Atlantic coast.

John Malkovich - Big Sleep (United Kingdom)

Curveball time: Malkovich backed Big Sleep, a budget hotel chain with locations in Cardiff, Cheltenham and Eastbourne. The concept favored modern, unfussy design and wallet-friendly rates — the anti-celebrity-hotel move, basically. He even helped design the furniture and the interior approach. He sold his stake around 2015, stepping away from the brand entirely.

Bottom line: whether you want a strict wellness reset, a design-forward New York hideaway or a sun-and-spa week in Florida, celebrities have opened the doors — sometimes literally — to their taste in hospitality. And yes, in one spot, the breakfast really might be the headliner.