the luxury hotels of Beverly Hills
Jul 15, 2016, 2:04 pm
#76
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If you go back to the ime when the BW was The Regent Beverly Wilshire, the Wilshire Wing was THE place to stay. It had all the hallmarks of Georg Rafael and Co - great room/suite amenities, such as 3-tiered glass boxes containing fresh strawberries in one, cream in another and sugar in the third. Very nice decor, too, with a touch of Asia. The 1980s and early 1990s were when this hotel really shone. It started going downhill when they closed the corner Café (where Ronald Reagan used to go for lunch) and sold the site to a retail group. It has never been quite the same since then. Radha Arora, when he was GM, was the one who started renovating the Beverly Wing. The big suites there are superb. Ben Trodd took over from Radha when he became President of Rosewood, but nothing appears to have progessed since then, which I suspect demotivates staff. It usuallywith does.
It was he who saved the BW from demolitionow in the early 1960s, and who constructed the Beverly Wing. Courtright lived on the premises, and he expected staff to perform to the highest standards. In 1975, the BW was chosen to host Emperor Hirohito on his only state visit to the US.
Courtright handed over a truly stellar property to Regent.
Last edited by Non-NonRev; Jul 15, 2016 at 2:14 pm
Jul 15, 2016, 3:56 pm
#77
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MEL
Programs: QF CL
Posts: 689
I still like the Bel Air and my husband loves the BHH. I stayed in the Pen for the first time in February this year and was very pleasantly surprised! I had a lovely courtyard suite of some sort, which was delightful at that time of year and I found the bed to be one of the most comfortable hotel beds I have ever slept in. I was a solo guest on that trip and I thought the hotel did a superb job of taking care of me.
Jul 16, 2016, 9:23 pm
#78
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Posts: 3,222
This has been a hot topic here. I much, much preferred the 'old' Hotel Bel Air. They killed that property in the remodel by completely changing the personality. That being said, this part of the world has one of the highest concentrations of world class hotels in the world, rivaling HK. Here is my LA list in order of preference:
Pen, Hotel Bel Air, FS BH, Beverly Hills Hotel, FS BW, Montage.
I don't like FS BW and the Montage, but that fact that those properties are ranked 4th and fifth to me shows how strong the competition is in Los Angeles. I'd happily settle for the 5th place Montage in say, Seattle .
Pen, Hotel Bel Air, FS BH, Beverly Hills Hotel, FS BW, Montage.
I don't like FS BW and the Montage, but that fact that those properties are ranked 4th and fifth to me shows how strong the competition is in Los Angeles. I'd happily settle for the 5th place Montage in say, Seattle .
Never been to the Montage, not motivated to try given my comfort with the Pen and BHH. Room service at BHH is the best I've encountered in the U.S.
We repair to LA from SFO three or four times a year for museums, symphony and general indulgence. We love the Pen and appreciate the gorgeous gardened grounds of the BHH. Service at both is finest kind.
Sep 20, 2016, 2:21 am
#79
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Geneva, Dubai, Paris
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Posts: 1,880
I just completed an excellent stay at the Montage BH.
Beautiful hard product, excellent food and outstanding service (especially the concierge). Trip report with pics can be found here.
Beautiful hard product, excellent food and outstanding service (especially the concierge). Trip report with pics can be found here.
May 31, 2017, 1:08 pm
#82
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,602
The sheer excellence of Hotel Bel Air (and its sister property, depending on your taste) just pulls me back. They truly have mastered the art of hospitality in its original sense and service is caring -- very rare in LA.
Tomorrow will see the opening of the Pierre-Yves Rochon designed Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and it is rare for me to say, but I have anticipated the opening. I usually dislike these better Hiltons, though this one looks rather special.
But if anything, it makes the Beverly Wilshire look very, very old. A relict of former time and glory... and a Pretty Woman cocktail won't do much about it. It appears to me that the BW seems to forget every detail of modern hotel keeping. With this room count and a hard product so out of date, one would think that the service should be special to save it... it isn't. Even less so, these days. It seems they have just given up. Area VP and GM, Englishman Ben Trodd, used to be very particular about every feedback and cared about every guest -- less so these days. To my recent complaint I did not even receive a reply and TripAdvisor comments are now handled by a PR representative... no longer by Mr Trodd himself. Is this FS? What is he doing?
There are so many possibilities for them to do something, something fresh. Add Amazon Echos to the rooms, or Netflix. Get rid of these 2000s TVs. Try to understand guest preferences. Offer a proper spa, an inventive menu, something special. Some treats, a little extra consideration? Get proper trainers and not just re-direct everyone to Equinox down the street. Escort guests to their suites. Heck, Beverly Wilshire doesn't even have coffee machines in every room...
With an owner this reluctant to invest, FS should re-consider its contractual choices. Wish FS would handle this like a 'Bangkok' case, although service there was always professional.
Better hotels have been gutted before, even those featured in 90s Hollywood movies.
Tomorrow will see the opening of the Pierre-Yves Rochon designed Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and it is rare for me to say, but I have anticipated the opening. I usually dislike these better Hiltons, though this one looks rather special.
But if anything, it makes the Beverly Wilshire look very, very old. A relict of former time and glory... and a Pretty Woman cocktail won't do much about it. It appears to me that the BW seems to forget every detail of modern hotel keeping. With this room count and a hard product so out of date, one would think that the service should be special to save it... it isn't. Even less so, these days. It seems they have just given up. Area VP and GM, Englishman Ben Trodd, used to be very particular about every feedback and cared about every guest -- less so these days. To my recent complaint I did not even receive a reply and TripAdvisor comments are now handled by a PR representative... no longer by Mr Trodd himself. Is this FS? What is he doing?
There are so many possibilities for them to do something, something fresh. Add Amazon Echos to the rooms, or Netflix. Get rid of these 2000s TVs. Try to understand guest preferences. Offer a proper spa, an inventive menu, something special. Some treats, a little extra consideration? Get proper trainers and not just re-direct everyone to Equinox down the street. Escort guests to their suites. Heck, Beverly Wilshire doesn't even have coffee machines in every room...
With an owner this reluctant to invest, FS should re-consider its contractual choices. Wish FS would handle this like a 'Bangkok' case, although service there was always professional.
Better hotels have been gutted before, even those featured in 90s Hollywood movies.
Last edited by scented; May 31, 2017 at 1:17 pm
May 31, 2017, 2:28 pm
#84
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,602
To quote a former hotel manager who now happens to be GM of a luxury hotel which has had an unpleasant celebrity guest recently: "This is not Europe!" While he is a good leader, I do not agree -- somehow Dorchester figured out how to run good hotels in LA. But it appears the Sultan of Brunei must be more generous in terms of budget, despite human rights issues!
Also Denise F has done wonders for HBA.
Jun 1, 2017, 9:14 am
#86
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
The sheer excellence of Hotel Bel Air (and its sister property, depending on your taste) just pulls me back. They truly have mastered the art of hospitality in its original sense and service is caring -- very rare in LA.
Tomorrow will see the opening of the Pierre-Yves Rochon designed Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and it is rare for me to say, but I have anticipated the opening. I usually dislike these better Hiltons, though this one looks rather special.
But if anything, it makes the Beverly Wilshire look very, very old. A relict of former time and glory... and a Pretty Woman cocktail won't do much about it. It appears to me that the BW seems to forget every detail of modern hotel keeping. With this room count and a hard product so out of date, one would think that the service should be special to save it... it isn't. Even less so, these days. It seems they have just given up. Area VP and GM, Englishman Ben Trodd, used to be very particular about every feedback and cared about every guest -- less so these days. To my recent complaint I did not even receive a reply and TripAdvisor comments are now handled by a PR representative... no longer by Mr Trodd himself. Is this FS? What is he doing?
There are so many possibilities for them to do something, something fresh. Add Amazon Echos to the rooms, or Netflix. Get rid of these 2000s TVs. Try to understand guest preferences. Offer a proper spa, an inventive menu, something special. Some treats, a little extra consideration? Get proper trainers and not just re-direct everyone to Equinox down the street. Escort guests to their suites. Heck, Beverly Wilshire doesn't even have coffee machines in every room...
With an owner this reluctant to invest, FS should re-consider its contractual choices. Wish FS would handle this like a 'Bangkok' case, although service there was always professional.
Better hotels have been gutted before, even those featured in 90s Hollywood movies.
Tomorrow will see the opening of the Pierre-Yves Rochon designed Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and it is rare for me to say, but I have anticipated the opening. I usually dislike these better Hiltons, though this one looks rather special.
But if anything, it makes the Beverly Wilshire look very, very old. A relict of former time and glory... and a Pretty Woman cocktail won't do much about it. It appears to me that the BW seems to forget every detail of modern hotel keeping. With this room count and a hard product so out of date, one would think that the service should be special to save it... it isn't. Even less so, these days. It seems they have just given up. Area VP and GM, Englishman Ben Trodd, used to be very particular about every feedback and cared about every guest -- less so these days. To my recent complaint I did not even receive a reply and TripAdvisor comments are now handled by a PR representative... no longer by Mr Trodd himself. Is this FS? What is he doing?
There are so many possibilities for them to do something, something fresh. Add Amazon Echos to the rooms, or Netflix. Get rid of these 2000s TVs. Try to understand guest preferences. Offer a proper spa, an inventive menu, something special. Some treats, a little extra consideration? Get proper trainers and not just re-direct everyone to Equinox down the street. Escort guests to their suites. Heck, Beverly Wilshire doesn't even have coffee machines in every room...
With an owner this reluctant to invest, FS should re-consider its contractual choices. Wish FS would handle this like a 'Bangkok' case, although service there was always professional.
Better hotels have been gutted before, even those featured in 90s Hollywood movies.
I think the reason that Dorchester is so good in LA is entirely due to their Area VP, Ed Mady, who is also GM at The Beverly Hills Hotel. He is an exceptional hotelier. For me, the LA hotels are the best in the entire Dorchester Collection.
Jun 2, 2017, 3:23 am
#87
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,602
I do wonder if the owners of The Beverly Wilshire are waiting for FS to say goodbye, as the owners, of course, are the people who own Rosewood. They were the ones who poached Radha Arora from the post of GM at Beverly Wilshire, to become President of Rosewood. You have to wonder!
Jun 4, 2017, 9:37 am
#88
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
IIRC ownership is shared. FS contracts can be ended >
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...n-england.html
didnt owner cancel bangkok? IIRC post mentioned service procedure disagreement
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...n-england.html
didnt owner cancel bangkok? IIRC post mentioned service procedure disagreement
Jun 26, 2017, 8:15 pm
#89
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
While not quite in the same league as many of the other luxury hotels mentioned so often in this thread, we had an incredibly good service stay and mind-blowing dinner at Saam at The Bazaar by Jose Andres at the SLS Beverly Hills this past weekend. My review:
http://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revie...-ok-suite-2028
Service was at an extremely high level at this hotel--so much so, I was pretty stunned. I do believe my Starwood Platinum Ambassador status made all the difference here.
The Lifestyle Suite was disappointingly dark, but very well appointed. It definitely felt like a luxury experience but too damn dark (and with only a single vanity, tisk). Fortunately, the hotel will undergo a major renovation/refurbishment staring in September--which is supposed to lighten up the decor considerably. The hotel has 296 rooms/suites, so boutique it isn't. But considering its vibe is so obviously see-and-be-seen, the fact that service can be so good impressed us.
For us, Saam is unquestionably the best fine dining experience in Los Angeles and rivals any of the top US restaurants (including LA's Providence, Bay Area's 3 starred Manresa, Meadowood, Saison, Quince, etc, and also DC's recent 2 starred minibar, where we ate over Easter weekend).
Saam will undergo a renovation starting in late July for maybe 3-4 months. Supposedly, the new Saam will be more like the minibar concept in Washington, DC. We are hoping to get back to Saam once before it closes for renovation.
http://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revie...-ok-suite-2028
Service was at an extremely high level at this hotel--so much so, I was pretty stunned. I do believe my Starwood Platinum Ambassador status made all the difference here.
The Lifestyle Suite was disappointingly dark, but very well appointed. It definitely felt like a luxury experience but too damn dark (and with only a single vanity, tisk). Fortunately, the hotel will undergo a major renovation/refurbishment staring in September--which is supposed to lighten up the decor considerably. The hotel has 296 rooms/suites, so boutique it isn't. But considering its vibe is so obviously see-and-be-seen, the fact that service can be so good impressed us.
For us, Saam is unquestionably the best fine dining experience in Los Angeles and rivals any of the top US restaurants (including LA's Providence, Bay Area's 3 starred Manresa, Meadowood, Saison, Quince, etc, and also DC's recent 2 starred minibar, where we ate over Easter weekend).
Saam will undergo a renovation starting in late July for maybe 3-4 months. Supposedly, the new Saam will be more like the minibar concept in Washington, DC. We are hoping to get back to Saam once before it closes for renovation.
Last edited by bhrubin; Jun 26, 2017 at 9:13 pm
Jun 27, 2017, 10:27 pm
#90
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,054
Thank you for this. Well deserved success.
I thought exactly the same. There is definitely something going on here. FS have improved their second LA property and as I hear try to get the family to invest more in renovations there. Jeff Leatham also helps. But the BW is in a state of neglect. Either the owner tries to get rid of FS as management or the ownership structure makes decisions impossible. I hear ownership is a bit more complicated with too many people and entities involved? Either way, it is unfortunate and there is something wrong -- many improvements would cost almost nothing to them, such as coffee machines, and usually FS is very strict with their owners about investments. Back of house is even worse at BW, which is also very unusual for Four Seasons and something Issy Sharp would not approve of! No wonder staff has become rude.
I thought exactly the same. There is definitely something going on here. FS have improved their second LA property and as I hear try to get the family to invest more in renovations there. Jeff Leatham also helps. But the BW is in a state of neglect. Either the owner tries to get rid of FS as management or the ownership structure makes decisions impossible. I hear ownership is a bit more complicated with too many people and entities involved? Either way, it is unfortunate and there is something wrong -- many improvements would cost almost nothing to them, such as coffee machines, and usually FS is very strict with their owners about investments. Back of house is even worse at BW, which is also very unusual for Four Seasons and something Issy Sharp would not approve of! No wonder staff has become rude.