Looking out my window overlooking Portobello, all I can see are grey clouds and rain. Pretty sad really as just a month ago, I was waking up at the Beverly Hills Hotel in sunny Los Angeles, greeted by a beautiful sunrise and palm trees. The pink palace celebrated its 100th Anniversary this year (there is a book available) and staying there I must say I could feel the history of the place very strongly. Old Hollywood lurks in every corner and I am pretty sure the ghosts of startlets past still linger by the pool’s Cabana Bar or drink cocktails at the soon-to-be-refurbished Polo Lounge – one of the best brunch spots in LA by the way. The hotel was designed by architect Elmer Grey and the visual identity and signage are by Paul Williams. The legendary hotel logo is actually just Williams’ handwriting!
I think what struck me the most upon arrival was how well suited to a family vacation the hotel was. With Mini in tow, it isn’t always easy to find the perfect accommodation – you see we need somewhere that’s nice for her and me, and we have very different requirements. In the room, there were treats for the whole family, including bath toys for mini. At turn down, she was given a lovely BHH Teddy Bear and proceeded to explain to me that “she was so happy to be in that hotel she could cry”. Quite clearly, I am placing the holiday bar pretty high. We arrived mid-afternoon and were whisked to our beautiful room, then made use of the hotels courtesy cars to go for dinner in the area before retiring to the room for the night. It is hard to describe the wonders a night at the BHH did to our jetlagged brains. The next morning it was as if we had been there for weeks and we all felt rested and ready for a day by the pool!
Ahh, the pool. Did I mention I’ve been obsessed with this particular hotel ever since I could say “hotel”? Being by the pool in my childhood’s land of dreams was an experience I will cherish for a while. As a big Classic Hollywood film fan and former Cinema student, I was walking around feeling the energy of the place and thinking how many old school movie stars had been there before me. A pretty humbling experience.
Traduction – Lors de mon séjour à Los Angeles, j’ai passé du temps au légendaire Beverly Hills Hotel qui fête ses 100 ans cette année.
Mademoiselle Robot was a guest of the Beverly Hills Hotel