HotelChatter

Highlights: Bernstein’s guest room was filled with “fixtures of Mr. Starck’s invention, including a bed with a faux-mink throw and chairs shaped like teacups.” Think “updated elegance” with a “jokey subtext” in the form of slogans riffing off the SLS name — i.e. a coffee cup that says “Sip liquids slowly.” Room service arrived pleasantly ahead of schedule, “each element (tea, orange juice, pastries) was perfect,” and he even got a follow-up call to make sure everything was OK. Nice.

Lowlights: Bernstein describes the bathroom as a “bit odd.” No tub but “the shower was perfect.” And since the hotel is located about a mile downhill from the Sunset Strip, there’s no view of the Chateau Marmont or the Mondrian, though it’s location makes for less nightmarish traffic.

Bottom line: “At a time when many hotels are offering steep discounts, SLS is trying to keep prices where they would have been a year ago,” the Times writes. “Expect to pay a lot (rates start at $349 plus tax), but to get a lot for your money.”

[Photo: Stephanie Diani for The New York Times]