In the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, life can feel a bit lonely. Streets are often empty of pedestrians, the hustle and bustle instead taking place inside shops and cafes or via Bluetooth on the congested highways. Tucked away inside the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills and the historic Beverly Wilshire (A Four Seasons Hotel), however, there’s a sense of camaraderie: we’re all here, enjoying this together.
The Four Seasons Los Angeles, located in central Beverly Hills, is regularly referred to as the industry hotel. Come award season, the rooms are filled with celebrities and play host to many a press junket. But off-season the hotel is cool, calm, and beautifully collected. Guests are immediately greeted with a towering floral arrangement in the lobby, setting the tone for a casual, but not an understated, brand of luxury.
Bags are swiftly taken away by hotel staff to spacious rooms decorated in sandy khakis and accented with ocean blues. Views of the Hollywood or Beverly Hills can be taken in from step-out balconies, or perhaps from the king beds waiting for weary travellers in need of a post-plane nap. After a rejuvenating wink of sleep, guests can freshen up with fragrant Bulgari toiletries in marble bathrooms boasting walk-in showers or deep tubs. Each room also has an iPad, allowing guests to leave their work-cluttered laptops in their bags—a vacation in and of itself.
The pool, like any proper Southern California abode, is where the hotel shines the brightest. Perched on the fourth floor with panoramic city views, the just under four-feet-deep pool is an urban hideaway. Shady cabanas are available, as well as chaise lounges that encircle the water—numerous enough to ensure one never has to hurry to secure a sunny spot. The pool also features an automatic sunscreen applier: simply stand in the centre, cover your eyes with the complementary sunglasses, and turn 360 degrees while your choice of SPF applies a full coat.
Meandering off of the grounds eventually is in order. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is nearby, but do as the locals do and take the car. The hotel chauffeured Bentley can be requested for short trips including the aforementioned museum, or perhaps shopping on Melrose followed by trendy plant-based Mexican fare at Gracias Madre. Back on the grounds, dinner is taken care of at Culina, which has a “live action” crudo bar with a wide range of house-made pastas and a grandiose wine list.
For visitors in L.A. looking for a bit more of a cinematic experience, the Four Seasons also offers the Beverly Wilshire. Immediately recognizable as Vivian Ward’s swanky upgrade in Pretty Woman (she stayed in the hotel’s grand 5,000-square-foot penthouse), the hotel is classically, unabashedly Beverly Hills. Built in 1928, the property has been at the epicentre of glamourous Hollywood life ever since, hosting live-in residents such as Elvis Presley and Steve McQueen.
Smack-dab in the centre of retail paradise, it is within walking distance of some of the finest flagships on Rodeo Drive including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Fendi. Guests can shop until they drop back into the Wilshire’s pool, which pays homage to silver screen icon Sophia Loren, designed after her Italian villa. Private cabanas can be ordered as well, where shade and Evian spritzes can help one escape the concrete L.A. heat.
Dining on-site is done with typically big Hollywood flare at Cut Beverly Hills: Wolfgang Puck Steakhouse Restaurant. Big, bright work from John Baldessari adorns the walls of the restaurant, reflecting the bold ethos of its surroundings. Despite the Michelin-starred restaurant’s celebrity status, it has been praised ever since its 2006 opening—notably from famed food critic Jonathan Gold, whose palate is notoriously un-swayed by pretense.
Together, this pair of hotels presents the two sides of the city—both full of glamour and luxury. Taking their cues from Hollywood past and present, they make their guests realize they have more in common with celebrities than they thought: the A-list treatment.
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