Spectacular renovated SLS Suite stay with incredible Somni/Bazaar dining and service

100   Recommended
Room 611 , SLS Suite
October 26, 2018 by EXPERT

 Map | 3 Reviews | 33% Recommended
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SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
 Map | 3 Reviews | 33% Recommended

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Room 611

SLS Suite

Liked:
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Amenities
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SLS Suite

Despite not loving our Lifestyle Suite in June 2017, we knew we would return to the SLS Beverly Hills after the wonderful service last year and after the room/suite renovations were completed by end of summer 2018. The Bazaar always was one of our favorite restaurants in LA, and its private dining room, Saam, actually had been my absolute favorite. Saam closed in July 2017 and reopened as Somni in March 2018--and I wanted to go badly! We just waited until the room/suite renovation was completed in August 2017.

Due to a snafu with our wine pairings at Saam in 2017, the SLS and Somni offered us a free dinner for 2 at Somni. So we booked our 2 nights at the SLS accordingly for our Saturday night dinner at Somni. I ended up getting upgraded to the SLS Suite over a month in advance by one of the amazing SLS managers we'd met last year. I then decided to extend my stay another 2 nights, rather than move to the nearby W Los Angeles/West Beverly Hills where I normally stay for work. The SLS graciously offered to keep me in the SLS Suite despite the fact that my husband (and dog) wouldn't be with me for the final 3 nights. I told the hotel I was happy to downgrade for the final nights, but the hotel insisted I enjoy the SLS Suite for my entire stay.

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The seating area outside the lobby during the daytime:

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The main hotel restaurant, Tres by Jose Andres, is front and center on entering the lobby:

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Guest relations is to right of the lobby entrance:

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Reception and concierge are to the left and around a corner.

The gym is very nice and has lots of equipment:

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The spa is very nice, too. Here is the couples treatment room:

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The pool deck on the 6th floor is extremely popular, understandably.

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Check In

Check in was quick and easy--though there was no mention or thanks for my Marriott elite status. I did ask if the FDA could see my status, and he then indicated he could see I was Platinum. He indicated they are supposed to get the new Marriott reservation system in November. 

He did say I had been upgraded to one of the nicest suites in the hotel. Of course, I already knew this--but it was cute how mysterious he tried to be. 

 

Room

I not only stayed in the SLS Suite, but I also was able to check out a regular superior room and a 1 bedroom suite. All were part of the recent room/suite renovation. 

THE SLS SUITE

The SLS Suite was a tremendous room.

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The bedroom was very spacious and full of natural light:

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You can just make out the Hollywood sign in the distance to the right of the dark building.

The small bathroom was off the closet hallway, which was ginormous.

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There was the dreaded Book of Mormon in the closet drawer. Sigh...

The small single-vanity bathroom was probably the biggest issue I had with this otherwise wonderful suite. It was about the same size as the bathroom we'd had last year--a bit too small for a suite this size, in my opinion. The sliding mirrored door also seemed a little too kitsch for me, especially if someone were doing their business in the bathroom. Another sliding mirored door opened slightly into the bedroom for no good reason.

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Wifi was blazing fast at around 115-120 Mbps download and 185-200 Mbps upload. Some of the fastest Wifi I've ever enjoyed.

The air con worked like magic--once I had them set it so it wouldn't turn off in the bedroom (which was controlled in the closet). Set to 60 F for me, it never stopped running--and the bedroom easily achieved a beautiful (for me) 62 F by the next morning. There were 2 additional thermostats and air con units in the living room.

I could hear some traffic noise by 7-8 am on Monday morning. I didn't hear much traffic on Sunday morning, fortunately. This was the 6th floor and a top suite, so I think double paned glass would have been more appropriate. The suite was totally blacked out when the shades were drawn. 

The whole suite was incredibly comfortable. Despite the small bathroom and slight traffic noise , we really loved the suite. I might request a courtyard facing room/suite for my next visit, though--just to be safe on noise. 

 

SUPERIOR ROOM

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ONE BEDROOM SUITE (COURTYARD FACING)

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The One Bedroom Suite may be my favorite, as its pretty spacious, has a bigger bathroom than our particular SLS Suite (though the other SLS Suites supposedly have bigger bathrooms with full baths), and is courtyard facing and therefore very quiet. There also is a One Bedroom Terrace Suite that opens to the terrace seen in the courtyard. 

Service

Service again was extraordinary, as good as any St Regis. Everyone was extremely friendly, always trying to help, and always handling things in a very prompt and efficient manner. Even the air con engineer was a delight. Even my request for housekeeping to keep the bedroom doors closed so it would stay colder was honored throughout my stay. 

A small welcome amenity bottle of red wine, chocolate, and card were left for us once my husband and dog arrived:

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A few days later, a second welcome amenity and card were left for me (since I had 2 reservations, most likely). This one was even better--with cheese, nuts, fruit, water, and champagne.

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I had driven my Tesla, and the hotel valets charged it every night of my stay. Another nice service touch. 

Kudos to the entire team for exceptional service. 

Dining

Food and beverage here is amazing--certainly the best we've ever enjoyed at any hotel anywhere else in LA or Southern California thus far. We dined A LOT here, since Somni was the original reason for this particular stay and because I love the dining here. We had Saturday night dinner at Somni, Sunday breakfast at Tres, Sunday brunch at Tres, and Tuesday dinner at The Bazaar. I also had room service breakfast every other morning, and I had room service dinner twice. Everything but Sunday brunch is something I would do again and again. 

SOMNI dinner, Saturday night

Somni is the equivalent of a 2 or 3 Michelin star dinner experience. It was sublime. Menu costs $235 per person. Our wine pairings were $500 apiece because we chose the priciest option. (We are major foodies, and I'm a major wine fanatic.)

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Breakfast at Tres

Breakfast was a pretty lean continental breakfast buffet with numerous hot menu options. The Marriott Platinum benefit is among the least generous we've seen, with only the continental cold breakfast being included. You can order hot menu options for $14 or more. 

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I ordered the eggs benedict with salmon, which is served very differently here:

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Personally, I wasn't a big fan, but it was interesting to try. My husband enjoyed it more than I did.

The meats, cheese, and breads/muffins were absolutely delicious. It wasn't a big spread, but it was a very high quality spread.

Sunday brunch at Tres

Sunday brunch was $65 and was also very high quality but not particularly impressive in its spread. Again, the buffet was a mix of hot and cold dishes, all very high quality, but no egg dishes. Extra dishes from the menu had to be ordered with a supplemental fee of $14. Bottomless mimosas was an additional $25 charge. We enjoyed brunch but expected more for the price. We wouldn't do Sunday brunch here again.

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Tuesday night dinner at The Bazaar by Jose Andres

Dinner was extraordinary. Even after the incredible Somni only 3 nights before, this was quite an amazing dinner. My friends decided we should try the 10 course tasting menu for $100 per person. It was still quite the deal and amazing meal.

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In room dining breakfasts and dinners

I ordered the same breakfast for 3 mornings...because it was so good! It wasn't cheap ($49-52 per morning), but I loved it. 

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I also ordered the cheeseburger for dinner on 2 nights because it was so comforting and so good--and not badly priced for $38 compared to breakfast.

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Basically, the food and beverage at the SLS is incredible. I loved it all.

 

Location

The SLS Beverly Hills is extremely convenient for us as it houses two of my favorite restaurants, Somni and the Bazaar by Jose Andres. It's so nice and easy to have dinner and drinks and then just walk back up to my room. 

It's also very convenient to most of my business in LA. It was just a 1 hr 20 min drive up from Newport Beach, a 12-15 min drive into Westwood, a 20 min drive to the West side, and a 30-45 min drive to Pasadena. Shockingly, it was only a 25-30 min drive to reach LAX on my way home on Wednesday.

Overall

It's a very impressive hotel. Service is stellar. The food/beverage is unmatched by any hotel in LA. The rooms/suites are much improved and very comfortable. The facilities are top rate. It's a contemporary luxury experience all around. I highly recommend it!

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