Fodor's Expert Review Beverly Hills Hotel
9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, California 90210, United States See on Map
Visitors are greeted by an elongated red carpet that leads into the pink-hued mission-style building, very much foreshadowing the star power that lays inside. The Beverly Hills Hotel is an LA icon that first opened in 1912 and sat atop a hill overlooking fields and farms--which is hard to imagine, as the fields have now become home to gigantic mansions. Today, the hotel plays host to the rich and famous and prides itself on both service and discretion. In a see-and-be-seen city, there’s little that compares to this hotel for its history, celebrity, and ostentatiousness.
room
Standard rooms are remarkably spacious with polite decorative touches that inspire a homey feel. A variety of rooms have fireplaces and balconies, but make sure to request those if you want them. The bungalows are the true gems of the hotel and inspired by Hollywood royalty like Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor, and Howard Hughes. The giant living spaces have their own private entrances, a few with private pools, tree-lined patios, and sweeping French windows.
If you can’t leave home without your four-legged friends, the hotel offers a $35-per-day pet fee that includes a doggie bed, water bowls, and bone-shaped doggie cookies with your best bud’s name handwritten on each.
bathroom
The marble-laden lavatories feature sunken tubs, double sinks, and TVs built in to the mirrors--perfect for comparing yourself to celebs while you do your daily primping.
lobby
The busy lobby is more of a meeting spot than a hangout. An ornate chandelier hangs over a room furnished with comfy couches and fresh flowers.
YOU SHOULD KNOW If you decide to rent a car, parking here is a whopping $48 a night!
pool
The famous Beverly Hills Hotel pool is heated and plays music from movie soundtracks under the water. You read that correctly: their pool is also an underwater concert. The guests-only hotspot has rentable cabanas and a pool-side café (non-guests are welcome to eat). Throughout the day, seasonal refreshments are brought out to guests (like mini soft-serve ice cream cones and Push Pops), free of charge.
spa
Six treatment rooms, including couples massage rooms, are featured in the famous La Prairie Spa in the hotel. Known for anti-aging treatments (you are in Beverly Hills, after all), the spa uses state of the art therapy for all those wrinkles, bumps, and scars that are torturing your Instagram feed.
Every Saturday at 9:30am, the hotel offers free yoga classes.
dining
One of the most famous power lunch spots in LA is at the Polo Lounge. Home to A-list celebs and studio dealmakers, the Lounge features live jazz on the patio and an extravagant afternoon tea. For something a little less refined, there’s the Fountain Coffee Room which serves up vintage diner food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
drinking
An indoor bar and an outdoor terrace make up Bar Nineteen12 (named for the year the hotel was opened). If you’re looking for craft cocktails and a swanky crowd, this is the place.
LOCATION
Getting Around
The hotel is in the middle of a residential neighborhood, so if you like walking by over-sized houses that aren't yours, you’ll love this. It’s a short trek into the retail area of Beverly Hills--the hotel offers a complimentary car that can take you around. It’s easy to hail a taxi here for anything farther afield--but renting a car may be easier, depending on how far you want to go. There is no metro access in this part of town.
Restaurants
Though the hotel is in a residential neighborhood, it’s not actually far from the retail area of Beverly Hills. If gnawing on a bone-in ribeye with other rich and famous people is your thing, head to Mastro’s Steakhouse (8-minute drive). If you want to partake in Cali-cuisine, there's Wolfgang Puck’s uber-famous restaurant Spago (9-minute drive).
WHY WE LIKE IT
This hotel is dripping with gilded-aged Hollywood history. It caters to the luxury traveler who likes to be in the heart of the in-crowd. While some of the hotel feels dated, a recent renovation helps to keep the vibe modernized. We love the service, which goes the extra mile--there’s no ask too large for their concierge to provide.
QUICK FACTS
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