beta1607

I am planning a weekend in LA and debating between the Hotel Bel-Air and the Beverly Hills Hotel and looking for some post renovation reviews of the Bel-Air. I have previously stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel and loved the charm of it, although the brunch crowd at Polo Lounge seemed to be trying too hard. Also which is more conveniently located to fun areas? Location from airport does not matter as I am driving up from Orange County.

I would stay either at a Bungalow at the BHH or a Deluxe Guestroom with Patio at the Hotel Bel-Air, prices I have been quoted are in the mid-$500's for each property. One additional note, the FHR benefits available at the BHH are slightly better than the Virtuoso benefits at Hotel Bel-Air ($100 spa credit vs $85)

Also, I'm not opposed to other luxury properties in the area it is just these two seem to have the most character.

mike_la_jolla

I'm at Hotel Bel Air now. Give me 1-2 days to post my impressions.

mike_la_jolla

OK just got back from Hotel Bel Air, post renovation.

- The 3 swans have returned, but the male was having some hormone issues and was locked up. Apparently he was beating up the two females. These are the same three swans from before the renovation.

-The bathrooms are fixed, meaning that they have been updated and now have a tub.

-The bar was redesigned.

-A lobby lounge was added. Never saw anybody in it.

- Service, in general, was very weak but they have only been open since Nov'11. Turn down was missed twice in a 4-night stay. The newspapers I requested at check-in were not delivered correctly once.

- They got rid of the self parking across the street. This is simply dumb. I HATE VALET PARKING! It was in this self-parking lot that I had to duck after getting out of my car to avoid the 3 dozen or so hummingbirds that were fighting. I still remember that first stay.

Food, I'm sorry to say, was poor. Our worst nightmares about Wolfgang Puck taking over the food here are, unfortunately true. Note that it appears that the A-team in the kitchen works from Wed-Sun, and the D-team works Mon/Tues. On Monday night, the kitchen couldn't be bothered to turn the tuna tartare into a full meal. What they did cook took 60 minutes or so. Breakfast was average at best. The Huevos Rancheros, a WP specialty, was bland and served cold. Yuk. They were out of English muffins on Monday. Huh?

- ALL, and I mean ALL of the personality that made this place so special was killed in the remodel. As best I could determine, not a single employee was rehired. This means that Gus, the old wizened bartender known the world around, is gone. Steve, the other bartender that had worked there 30 years or so is gone -- went to Vegas apparently. Sad. Very sad. If you were friendly enough to Gus or Steve, you could always get a story. My favorite story was the odd drink that Nancy Reagan's psychic demanded during her visits. Gus couldn't tell that story without cracking a smile.

The grounds are breathtaking.

Larkin

So sad to hear about the Bel Air. It was my favorite. I loved the location, just far enough away to feel really relaxed and private, but close enough to get around albeit by car. My other favorite is the Peninsula. I have had wonderful service there always. They always upgrade my room, and I love the 24 hour check-in/check-out policy, and it is nice to be welcomed back woth ypur monogrammed pillow cases. When the long time GM left for the Montage I was worried, but the service is still top notch in my experiences. Negative is the pool is quite small compared to BHH and the area around it can get crowded (it is on the rooftop). But many times when I am there I am not looking to use the pool except for an early morning swim.
I have never been wild about the BHH, but do like the large pool, and some of the bungalows are great. Depends on what you are looking for!

wripro

I agree. Sad to hear this about the Bel-Air. I feared the food would suffer when I heard WP as taking over. I'm sure he has as much personally to do with the cooking as I do. What bothers me most though is the loss of personality of the hotel as it used to be one of the most unique properties in the world.

Shangri-La

Looking at the pics of the remodel, it just seems to lost its unique, Hollywood elegance. While it looks nice, it looks rather generic in the luxury hotel market.

Baghoarder

The Bel Air was my favorite, too. I stayed at the BHH last time I was in LA. It was very comfortable, but somehow I just couldn't get excited about the place. Now I will need to find a new favorite...

aesla11

Gallivanters tweets from Bel Air Hotel a couple of weeks ago are so different than the feedback here. They loved everything about this hotel. So maybe difference in taste?

mike_la_jolla

I'm investigating. From the tweets, I can't convince myself they stayed there or ate the food. I don't normally disagree with Lyn and Dave.

"Brillant mix of Original & new & now Relevant to 21th century needs' is just wrong. Maybe they were at the Pen or HBB? I suspect they just walked through and got a peek at the presidential suite.

aesla11

I think difference of opinion exists in all levels. Great example is your hate for FS Maui. Conversely, I actually really like the place. So your taste maybe very different than some others. Nothing wrong with that. It really sounded that Lynn and Dave stayed there at least for a night or two. Again, they loved everything. Oh by the way, Wolfgang Puck has become such a figure in Los Angeles. Arguably, the best restaurant in Los Angeles at this time is WP24 (Wolfgang Puck) at the new Ritz. Most high end events are catered by WP catering.

vuittonsofstyle

I was scared witless by the idea that Wolfgang was doing the catering at the Bel-Air, but when I stayed recently for a couple of nights, the menus were refreshingly different from the usual repetitive rubbish that is served in LA hotels. Do we really have such a limited palate as to want rib-eye, ahi-tuna, pizza et al for EVERY meal? Me? No, I want something different, please, and the Bel-Air delivered. OK, it's not Eric Briffard at George V, but it beats the hell out of Scarpetta at Montage, IMHO, which appears to have won a 'famous' badge just for being 'famous'. To me, it was suburbia-meets-condominium. What was I meant to say? Nice concrete?
LA is a dining desert, so we are grateful for small mercies. I like the fact that they can actually cook at the Bel-Air.

Kagehitokiri

seriously re WP24? there are a lot of factors re catering.

"hate" is a word choice. mike_la_jolla always includes service examples including FS maui allowing people to claim chairs, and it was FS maui that had the TV filming, as well as 'renting' the serenity pool.

speaking of FS maui, vs smaller MKB on big island?
seems like comparing design/menu to other LA properties.

oct 2008 michelin two star >
- Mélisse
- Providence
- Spago
- Urasawa

and of course the very informative http://www.kevineats.com/

obscure2k

"LA is a dining desert?" Perhaps you need to spend more time in Los Angeles.

vuittonsofstyle

I was talking about hotel restaurants, not restaurants per se. I don't think I need to spend more time in LA.

beta1607

I am an LA native and I agree with Vuittons. Compared to other "world class" cities, we do definitely lag behind. NYC, Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore and even Chicago have better options in terms of both quality and depth of selection.

Also, Vuittons, you mentioned you stayed recently, what was your overall impression of the hotel, not just the food?