Party Dispatch: Hotel Angeleno Opening Party

June 8, 2006 at 4:43 PM | 0 Comments

HotelChatter Exclusive :: Opening Party Coverage

Last night was the official opening for the Hotel Angeleno and HotelChatter has the official Party Dispatch on what happened, who was there and what tequila tastes the best.

The hotel has been taking guests since March but the finishing touches like the top-floor restaurant, West, and the pool have not been seen until now.

The crowd was a mix of travel agents, business clients (like the hotel's wine and spirits distributor) and community folks with celeb appearances by Allison Janney, Jenny McCarthy and Justine Bateman. Interestingly enough, both Jenny and Justine had stories about the hotel in its past life as a Holiday Inn---Justine had a prom there and Jenny used to put her parents up there when she first moved to LA. We thought Hef would go higher quality than the Holiday Inn for his nineties cash bunny, oh well.

Despite the corporate guest list, the party was anything but a typical corporate function. Guests were taken on a ride from the bottom of the hotel up to the top, sampling a little bit of what the hotel can offer.

Poolside there were oyster treats from the restaurant and pomegranate martinis. On the 7th floor was tequila tasting and a ginormous bowl of guacamole and chips. Heading up to the 15th floor, party guests could indulge in a 5-minute hand massage. Continuing on to the 16th floor in the Brentwood Suite, available for private events, was a Spanish guitar player and a mojito bar.

But the biggest hits of the evening were the handwriting analysts who could tell from the way you crossed your Ts whether you were a good dancer or not. Finally, guests arrived at WEST where groovy music played and people mingled against the backdrop of the LA skyline. Yet the most fun came from riding the large elevators up and down with other guests from floor to floor.

Sadly, like all things in LA, the party was marred by the parking situation and the traffic jam that ensued as people were trying to hand off their cars to the valet.

More Party Dispatch and photos by Javier Marcheselli after the break