Reviewed by Brooke Porter Katz
How did it strike you on arrival?
Chances are good that you have a mental image of the palm trees and lush gardens leading up to the “Pink Palace,” which is located just off Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Beverly Hills, and feels like a private estate tucked away in the hills. If not, you might greet the pink-and-green color palette, and the Dorothy Draper-designed banana leaf wallpaper, like a faded celebrity who you mistook for a high school classmate. Though steeped in legend—it's no wonder the Duke and duch*ess of Windsor, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, John Wayne, and Henry Fonda all stayed there; or that Elizabeth Taylor took to the bungalows with six of her eight husbands, or that John Lennon and Yoko Ono hid out in a bungalow for a week; or that Charlie Chaplin, a frequent guest in the 1920s, returned in 1972 to accept an honorary Oscar, and Faye Dunaway stayed there after receiving her Academy Award for Network in 1977. It still manages to stay modern: Between 2012 and 2015, it had a four-phase renovation project of the lobby, Polo Lounge, pool cabanas, and all rooms and suites in the main building. And despite all of the much-needed updating, silver dollar pancakes at the Fountain Shop are served exactly as they always have for time immemorial.
What’s the crowd like?
Over the last 100 years, it’s become a playground for the Hollywood elite, royalty from around the world, and business people—plus leisure travelers (including families), many of whom return year after year.
The good stuff: Tell us about the rooms.
There are 208 guest rooms, including 23 bungalows, which were restored under the guidance of Alexandra Champalimaud. Some of them take inspiration from former famous guests; for example, No. 22 honors Frank Sinatra with a desert aesthetic modeled after his Palm Springs home. Bungalow 5 is outfitted in colors from Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection, including citrine and gold. (She spent six of her eight honeymoons in that suite.)
We’re craving some deep, restorative sleep. They got us?
Custom bed linens are embroidered with the hotel crest.
How about the little things, like mini bar. Any worth a mention?
Mini-bars are stocked with “Gourmet” snacks for $14 (a tad much for gummy bears and cashews!) and “Comfort” snacks for $6 (Kit Kat, Snickers, etc)
Other in-room amenities: Every room and suite has high-tech panels to control light and temperature and oversized walk-in closets. A third have balconies, fireplaces, terraces, or patios.
There are in-room yoga and meditation menus. Complimentary wellness kits are offered in all suites, and include an instructional yoga DVD, mats, blocks, stretch bands, Buddha boards, massage balls, and therapeutic oils.
Please tell us the bathroom won’t let us down.
Large marble bathrooms have illuminated mirrors with built-in TVs, a shower and soaking tub. Bath amenities are made custom for the hotel by Natura. Shampoo is mimosa; conditioner is sage; bath gel is citron; the lotion is herbal ginseng; bath crystals are a hibiscus scent.
What do they have for food and drink?
The Polo Lounge is a quintessential LA power dining spot—assume there is a deal being made while you’re there. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, some out-of-towner getting engaged; it's a bit like Tavern on the Green that way. The Rat Pack used to drink here late night. There’s live jazz during Sunday brunch.
The Fountain Room Coffee Room is a 19-seat vintage soda fountain first opened in the 1940s. It serves breakfast all day, plus lunch and dinner—one of those classic diner menus. You can opt for casual al fresco poolside dining at the Cabana Café, which serves breakfast all day, fresh salads, wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, and smoothies. There’s also a bar and communal table. Bar Nineteen12 is named after the year the hotel first opened. There's an indoor bar and a beautiful terrace overlooking the pool, gardens, and palm trees.
You can also try dishes from the “Perfection Just Happens” in-room menu, which has one dish from each of the Dorchester Collection hotels—including sister property Hotel Bel-Air (Garden Vegetable Soup, inspired by one Wolfgang Puck’s mother used to make him in Austria).
Anything stand out about other services and features?
The palm-tree lined pool, whose cabanas now boast the hotel’s iconic banana leaf Martinique wallpaper by CW Stockwell in a darling shade of millennial pink, is a snapshot of classic Hollywood. Duck your head underwater, heated year round to 82 degrees, and listen to tunes from classic films play while you swim. A few fun historic anecdotes: Katharine Hepburn once dove fully clothed into the pool after a tennis game; Raquel Welch and Robert Evans were discovered by Hollywood elite while lounging poolside; Leonard Bernstein came up with the idea for West Side Story in Cabana 3. The Beverly Hills Hotel Spa has a private check-in privacy, and four newly renovated treatment rooms adorned with soothing lapiz and gold hues, as well as steam showers and a mani/pedi salon that looks out over the citrus grove. Follow up your ayurvedic facial treatment with yoga in their sleek gym. To get the true 90210 experience, the hotel partners with Beverly Hills Car Rental so that guests can cruise around in a Lamborghini Huracan EVO, Rolls Royce Cullinan or Rolls Royce Ghost. It doesn’t get more Beverly Hills than that.
What was most memorable about your stay?
Feeling like I was becoming a part of its history by staying there. It’s just such an icon.
