During World War II the Ambassador Hotel was used for war fundraisers in Cocoanut Grove and when the war ended , the Cocoanut Grove became a retreat for servicemen , servicewomen , and many movie actors . ( The Cocoanut Grove fire of 1942 occurred at an unrelated nightclub in Boston . ) The Ambassador Los Angeles was built as part of the Ambassador Hotels System . At the time the hotel opened in January 1921 , the chain consisted of the Ambassador Los Angeles , the Hotel Alexandria in Los Angeles , the Ambassador Santa Barbara , the Ambassador Atlantic City and the Ambassador New York . The Santa Barbara property burned down soon after on April 13 , 1921 , and the Alexandria left the chain in 1925 , while the Ambassador Palm Beach joined in 1929
Cocoanut Grove fire
Cocoanut Grove fire
Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles)