Fairmont Century Plaza

The Fairmont Century Plaza Experience

The Fairmont Century Plaza is one of the great architectural statements in Los Angeles — the curved, mid-century modernist facade on Avenue of the Stars is instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever watched a Hollywood awards telecast or a presidential press conference from LA. The hotel opened in 1966 and became the de facto West Coast venue for state dinners, presidential visits, and entertainment industry milestones. After a landmark $2.5 billion restoration completed in 2021, the Century Plaza reopened as a Fairmont property with all of the architectural heritage preserved and all of the luxury amenities reimagined. The Grand Ballroom is a masterpiece of scale: 17,000 square feet of column-free space with soaring ceilings, warm lighting design, and the kind of proportions that allow 1,200 guests to feel both grand and intimate. The historic crescent lobby, outdoor plaza, and garden terraces offer additional visual environments — each one carrying the weight of the building's remarkable history.

Events at Fairmont Century Plaza

The Fairmont Century Plaza has hosted more presidential state dinners, entertainment industry award after-parties, and Hollywood milestones than virtually any other Los Angeles venue. Today's events at the Century Plaza carry that legacy consciously — couples who choose it for weddings understand they are celebrating in the same ballroom where history was made. Corporate galas at scale — 500 to 1,200 guests — find the Grand Ballroom to be one of the only venues in Los Angeles that can handle the numbers without sacrificing the luxury experience. Award ceremonies, from entertainment guilds to philanthropic foundations, leverage the venue's own awards-night heritage. Brand activations at Century Plaza benefit from a location at the center of the Century City business district.

Why a Photo Booth Works at Fairmont Century Plaza

The Fairmont Century Plaza offers three distinct visual atmospheres that each transform photo booth experiences differently. The Grand Ballroom's column-free vastness and warm lighting make the Open Air Booth the most versatile choice — it can be positioned anywhere in the room without competing with architectural columns or pilasters, and the ballroom's golden light flatters every subject. The Glam B&W Booth in the historic crescent lobby or salon spaces produces portraits that feel genuinely cinematic — the mid-century modern setting lends a Hollywood Golden Age quality to the monochrome imagery. The Trading Card Photo Booth is ideal for award ceremonies and entertainment industry events where custom branded collectibles become meaningful keepsakes that reference the event's significance. At 1,200 guests, the Century Plaza also benefits from high-throughput booth configurations.

Best Booth Types for This Venue

About Fairmont Century Plaza

The Century Plaza Hotel opened on June 19, 1966, designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki — the same architect who later designed the World Trade Center in New York. The curved, crescent-shaped building was built as the centerpiece of Century City, a massive development on the former back-lot of 20th Century Fox Studios. From its opening, the Century Plaza became the preferred venue for presidential events in Los Angeles: Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush all held major events at the hotel. The 1984 Summer Olympics closing ceremony dinner was held here. Dozens of entertainment industry awards ceremonies and presidential campaign fundraisers have used the ballrooms. The hotel closed in 2016 for a comprehensive $2.5 billion restoration and reopened in 2021 as the Fairmont Century Plaza — fully preserved as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument while completely reimagined as a 21st-century luxury hotel.

Setup & Logistics

The Fairmont Century Plaza's event team manages vendor access with the precision appropriate to a historic landmark. We arrive with all required documentation, coordinate load-in through the designated vendor entrance, and follow the hotel's strict setup protocols for the Grand Ballroom's polished marble and hardwood surfaces. For large-format events in the Grand Ballroom, we recommend budgeting 120–150 minutes for setup. Dual-booth configurations for 500+ guest events require additional coordination which we handle directly with the hotel event team. Power access points throughout the Grand Ballroom are coordinated with the hotel AV team in advance.