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.