The Guild of Location Managers

Renaissance Chancery Court - High Holborn

London's five-star Renaissance Chancery Court is situated amidst the dramatic architecture of Holborn. The hotel, formerly Pearl Assurance headquarters, is frequently used as a film location thanks to its spectacular backdrop, which suits a host of different genres. With 13 dedicated meeting and event spaces and home to the award-winning Spa at Chancery Court and Pearl, the glittering destination restaurant and bar, the hotel is an impressive venue

The Front Entrance
The Lobby
Chairman's Boardroom	Pearl Restaurant with Private dining room

 

Filming News from Chancery Court

The stunning architecture of the Edwardian Pearl Assurance building, now Renaissance Chancery Court, has become a hit with filmmakers seeking an impressive backdrop for their movies. In the past 'Wilde' and 'The Saint' have used the building as a film set. 2007 sees the release of three movies featuring the hotel that are set to be Hollywood block busters: Love and Other Disasters, The Walker and The Bourne Ultimatum.

The first, a romantic comedy, was a labour of love for director Alex Keshishian who wrote, directed and produced the film. Love and Other Disasters is a gorgeous story about an American intern at British Vogue helping her friends find love and is very different from his previous work, the most famous being the controversial documentary In Bed with Madonna.

Alex came across the building through product placement extraordinaire Kellie Belle of Bellwood Media. She said "I had been wanting to use the hotel for a while. It was just a matter of finding the right project. 'Love and Other Disasters' was the perfect fit and the location certainly enhances the scene.

The film's stars, including Brittney Murphy, Matthew Rhys, Catherine Tate and rising-star Santiago Cabrera, could be seen milling around the hotel during filming, which took place in August 2005. Gwyneth Paltrow and Orlando Bloom also appear in the movie.

Whilst filming took place, Chancery Court's management team worked closely with the crew to ensure that scenes filmed in The Ballroom, Lord Chancellor's Suite and lobby ran seamlessly without disturbing hotel guests in any way. Mellissa Pitt-Chalmers, Director of Sales & Marketing, emphasises the importance of this "Our number one priority is to ensure that the activities do not disrupt guests visiting or staying in the hotel. The staff have become accustomed to adapting to the needs of film crews and actors. The discretion of hotel employees along with the beauty of the building has made our location a hot venue to film in".

So hot that it wasn't long before Pearl Restaurant and Bar was chosen as the location for a dining scene in the film 'The Walker', directed by Paul Schrader, the man behind legendary movies such as 'Taxi Driver', 'Raging Bull' and 'American Gigolo' and staring Woody Harrelson playing an escort to society ladies in Washington DC. Schrader said the character is his vision of what his 'American Gigolo' protagonist would have become when he hit 50.

Harrelson stars alongside Kristin Scott-Thomas, Lauren Bacell and Mortitz Bleibtreu. During filming, which took place in August 2006, guests who were walking past the film set were surprised to find a restaurant full of people (who were actually actors) drinking wine at breakfast time!

The most recent film to use Chancery Court as a film set was Matt Damon's third Bourne installment - The Bourne Ultimatum. This version, directed by BAFTA award wining director Michael Greengrass (United 93), sees Bourne race to discover the final mysteries of his past while a government agent tries to track him down after a shootout in Moscow. A scene starring Joan Allen, saw The CC Bar transformed into a Washington DC breakfast restaurant.

Contact Dan Corfield about location hire.

For further information and more images see the hotel website