THE CITY OF ANGELS IS HOTTER THAN EVER THANKS TO A SLEW OF LUXURY HOTELS OPENING AT DIZZYING SPEEDS.
THOMPSON HOLLYWOOD
Photo Credit: Michael Mundy
Thompson Hollywood is the cool kid in school, anchored by one of the most beautiful rooftop bars in the city and a thoughtful design — think West Coast modern, old-school Hollywood glamour and custom French Riviera chic merging as one — by renowned London-based interior architecture studio Tara Bernerd & Partners. Guests will discover a welcoming trellis-covered walkway leading to double Crittal Doors upon arrival, as well as a lobby decorated with a mixture of both mid-century and contemporary pieces. The lobby bar — topped with a striking retro-green onyx — serves up coffee, cocktails, or casual bites. The 190 light-filled rooms, including 16 suites, are accented by floor-to-ceiling windows and vanities finished in rich terrazzo with contrasting pale-tiled floors, as well as large, L-shaped sofas finished in a sumptuous mid-green velvet. The F&B outlets here are outstanding: They include the Martin Brudnizki-designed, chef Lincoln Carson-helmed signature restaurant, Mes Amis (“My Friends”), a modern French brasserie, set to launch this spring; and the Bernadette Blanc-designed Bar Lis, an absolutely breathtaking, French Riviera-inspired rooftop lounge which features a retractable roof and spectacular wraparound views of Hollywood.
1541 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles 90028
PENDRY WEST HOLLYWOOD
Photo Credit: Pendry West Hollywood
There are few hotels cooler (and busier) straight out of the gate than the Pendry West Hollywood, the newest property in the Pendry portfolio and the brand’s first hotel in Los Angeles. What it offers is true Hollywood cool coupled with all the amenities one could ask for: 149 luxury guest rooms; an absolutely gorgeous private membership club in The Britely, as designed by Martin Brudnizki of London’s Annabel’s fame; hundreds of artworks by local LA artists and internationally acclaimed names alike; a multipurpose live entertainment venue;a screening room; bowling alley; the fabulous Spa Pendry; a state-of-the-art fitness center with offerings from Babor; and a partnership with The Hydration Room to offer customized vitamin injections and IV therapies for fatigue, stress, dehydration, immune support, jet lag, and even hangovers. There is also a partnership with Health House, offering virtual fitness programming for guests; and a critically celebrated art collection featuring works by some of Los Angeles’ most exciting emerging artists and acclaimed international names. The opening of Pendry West Hollywood also heralds the return of celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck to West Hollywood, with the debut of Merois, a glorious rooftop locale with a menu that spotlights Puck’s eye for the sophisticated subtleties of Japanese, Southeast Asian, and French/California cuisine; and Ospero, a casual street-side European style café featuring a relaxed, all-day menu of neighborhood-friendly favorites, including classic salads, handmade pastas, vegan dishes, and Puck’s renowned house-made pizzas, fresh from their wood-burning pizza oven. Bar Pendry, an intimate jewel box with custom-made cocktails, and small bites from Puck, is a must-visit as well. Check out, too, the Moët & Chandon vending machine that’s always at the ready, just underneath the Sunset Jewel — a fanciful golden tree sculpture adorned with Swarovski crystals.
8430 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood 90069
THE MAYBOURNE BEVERLY HILLS
Photo Credit: The Maybourne Hotel Group
Situated in Beverly Hills’ Golden Triangle, The Maybourne Beverly Hills is the perfect location for The Maybourne Hotel Group’s (London’s Claridge’s, The Connaught, and The Berkeley) first North American location. Art is a central theme here, with works courtesy of celebrated Californian artists, including Tony Berlant and Ed Ruscha, as well as international names such as Damien Hirst and Harmony Korine, displayed throughout the hotel lobby, as well as in the pastel-hued, airy guest rooms. Otherwise, the exceptional Spa at The Maybourne Beverly Hills offers a slew of unique treatments from the French-Japanese EviDenS de Beauté, and is also the only U.S. destination to carry plant-based brand Ila; there is also a rooftop pool dotted with private cabanas. Dining experiences include the Maybourne Bar, anchored by a bar carved from Turkish green onyx, handmade panels by French artisan Pietro Seminelli, and photography by Mary McCartney; all-day dining restaurant The Terrace; and the Cigar and Whiskey Bar — one of just three destinations in the city where smoking is permitted, and one of only two where it is allowed without a membership — with a custom-made humidor holding more than 1,000 cigars.
225 N. Canon Dr, Beverly Hills 90210
SANTA MONICA PROPER HOTEL
Photo Credit: The Ingalls
The Santa Monica Proper is the second Proper to make our list, and the first to open in Los Angeles over the past two years, and while this property, too, was designed by Kelly Wearstler, it’s radically different from its downtown sister. This 271-room locale — which is within walking distance from the beach — successfully optimizes natural light and neutral tones, taking on a more organic, earthy feel in a completely elevated way. Using Santa Monica itself as muse, Wearstler grounded her designs in a bold, neutral scheme of subtle organic textures, materials, and natural elements: sandy palettes, light hardwoods, grass cloths, and floor-to-ceiling windows. To further enhance the artisanal feel, she collaborated with renowned names in the LA art world for original artworks and monolithic installations, such as Ben Medansky, Morgan Peck, Tanya Aguiniga, Len Klikunas, and Bradley Duncan. An emphasis on Eastern-inspired wellness dominates, more so at Surya Spa, one of the only truly Ayurvedic spas in America, a 3,000-square-foot flagship collaboration with celebrated wellness practitioners Martha and Roger Soffer. Following a philosophy that bridges the physical, mental, and spiritual, hotel guests and locals can explore 10,000 years of Indian wellness principles through therapeutic massage, steam, and oil treatments, cooking, yoga, and meditation. Wildcrafted, plant-based ingredients are blended and created daily for individual tastes, to relax and rejuvenate. Guests may enjoy single treatments like Ayurvedic facials and scrubs, or the residential series — Panchakarma — lasting three to 21 days. Other spa features include an intimate retail space, yoga, and TM classes in partnership with the David Lynch Foundation. More amenities in the wellness space include a rooftop swimming pool, boards, and bikes at the ready, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and yoga on the second-floor terrace. Speaking of outdoor activities, well, the Santa Monica Proper boasts the only rooftop restaurant on the Westside with Calabra, its indoor-outdoor, beach-inspired bistro, where ocean views are paired with biodynamic wine, signature cocktails, and Mediterranean and California cuisine. Other culinary offerings include Olea, a lush and breezy garden terrace, for fresh and inventive sushi and sake; and the art-filled lobby lounge, Palma, which features small-batch mezcals and boutique wines by the glass.
700 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica 90401
FAIRMONT CENTURY PLAZA
Photo Credit: Fairmont Century Plaza
The Fairmont Century Plaza, which opened its doors in September, is touted as the hub for the Hollywood elite. Standing tall as famed architect Minoru Yamasaki’s “Hotel of the Future”, this mid-century modern icon has been restored to its former glory as the centerpiece of a $2.5B mixed-use development project. Built on 6.14 acres, it includes two 44-story towers with 94,000 square feet of boutique shopping and 268 privately owned luxury residences. Everything here is A-list friendly: its location, at the intersection of Beverly Hills and Century City and across from CAA, is prime real estate, while underground tunnels and secret entrances are elite-friendly, perfectly placed for annual ceremonies like the Emmy and Critics’ Choice awards. The hotel pays tribute to its star-studded history while ushering in a new age of glamour with cutting-edge amenities and an impressive collection of art from around the world, including its signature piece, a 23-foot-tall mesh sculpture created by Spanish artist Juame Plensa. International design firm Yabu Pushelberg has transformed the hotel’s design, delivering a modern update to the 1960s nostalgia, while celebrating Fairmont’s defining quality of grandeur with a Hollywood twist: from its Sonny and Cher elevator banks to easter eggs hidden throughout the rooms and hotel itself in the form of quirky and cute movie quotes and film references. Beyond that, come for the sophisticated ambiance of its traditional French-inspired brasserie, Lumière. Or opt for the music-themed, completely innovative cocktail list of the hotel’s magnificent centerpiece, The Bar at Century Plaza. This marvel is surrounded by a living green wall, floating fireplace, water feature, floor-to-ceiling windows that retract into the floor, creating a gorgeous light-filled open space. The incredibly cutting-edge, 14,000-square-foot Fairmont Spa Century Plaza is reinventing wellness culture with experiential rain showers, sanariums, aromatherapy steam rooms, a hammam, a Himalayan salt room, and an evolving collective of world-renowned wellness experts like Dr. Oz Garcia, a biohacker and leading authority on healthy aging; and Dr. Rita Rakus, a London-based rejuvenation and anti-aging aesthetic treatment pioneer. And don’t forget to factor in its rooftop pool, with views of the Pacific Ocean, Getty Museum, and Hollywood Hills, its Fairmont Gold program — an exclusive hotel-within-a-hotel experience featuring 70 guest rooms and suites offering private check-in and checkout; exclusive access to the exquisite Gold Lounge; and dedicated Personal Assistants offering 24/7 concierge service. Even turndown service gets a novel upgrade with The Fairmont Gold Bar Cart, an on-demand martini cart that delivers customized cocktails straight to guests’ doors — and the house dog, a lovely black Lab named Laurel that’s available for cuddling around the clock, well, this hotel is the one to beat.
2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067
COMING SOON
Photo Credit: The Grand LA
CONRAD LOS ANGELES
Conrad Los Angeles, the first Conrad property in California (the Hilton Hotel Group’s ultra-premium offering) will open its doors inside DTLA’s Frank Gehry-designed mixed-use development, The Grand LA, on June 1. The 305-room luxury hotel will be anchored by two original dining concepts courtesy of José Andrés and his ThinkFoodGroup team. The first, an open-air rooftop dining destination will feature a Latin- and Asian-inspired menu as well as a dedicated pool-side menu for light and leisurely snacking. The second will be dedicated to classic Spanish flavors and dishes that come alive with Southern California’s vibrant, farm-fresh ingredients. Adjacent to the second restaurant will be a dedicated lobby bar, designed to celebrate the spirit of the desert and the Pacific Ocean.
100 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles 90012
THE WHISKEY HOTEL
Restaurateur Adolfo Suaya of Gaucho Grill is redeveloping a site near Hollywood’s Cahuenga Corridor as a 134-room whiskey-themed hotel. The Whisky Hotel will include whiskey sommeliers and whiskey-filled minibars when it opens later this year. All we can say to that is: Cheers!
1717 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles 90028
THE ASTER
David Bowd, who has launched some of the world’s most exclusive venues, including London’s Chiltern Firehouse, New York’s Mercer, and LA’s very own Chateau Marmont, will open The Aster, a private members club with its own 35-room boutique hotel, this summer in Hollywood. The venue promises Ted Talks, musical performances, restaurants, cocktail bars, wellness, and recording studios under one roof.
1717 Vine St, Los Angeles, 90028
