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The Overhaul of the Hotel Bel-Air Begins Today
The iconic 63-year-old Hotel Bel-Air closes today for a massive multimillion-dollar renovation that'll take two years to complete.
Burrowed among the canyons in L.A., the hotel's hosted a slew of stars, from Grace Kelly, Jackie Gleason, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe to Oprah, Robin Williams, Hillary Swank and Nicole Kidman. Despite its star-packed clientele, the hotel was in desperate need of an Extreme Makeover: Hotel Edition.
To keep its luxury cred, the hotel will renovate its 91 rooms and suites, Champagne Bar, restaurant and private dining rooms. The Hotel Bel-Air also will add 12 villas on it 12-acre grounds and a new spa with seven treatment rooms and three junior spa suites. General manager Tim Lee told the L.A. Times that technology needs to be updated, as 99 percent of guests can't use their cell phones at the hotel. And we won't even get into those caveman-like big-box TVs in the rooms.
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Principe Di Savoia Ready To Unveil Renovations in September
Remember our fears about the Hotel Principe Di Savoia fixing what ain't broke by renovating their iconic Winter Garden bar? Well, we're not 100% sure yet but the renovations at the hotel are pretty much done and from what we can figure out, it's still an impressive place.
Ready to debut in September, the $50 million worth of renos include nine new suites, a new Imperial Suite and an impressive new lobby (pictured); and a refurbishment of the bar. The refurb of the Winter Garden has been planned by architect Thierry Despont, who also worked on the Dorchester in London and the Getty Center in LA, so we're feeling we're in good hands – but we'll have to wait until the proper unveiling to be sure.
Obviously spending $50 million on the place won't be leading the Principe Di Savoia to lower their prices any time soon. Basic non-cancellation web rates are starting at €413 ($590) a night for a double, and they go upwards steeply from there.
Tags: Hotel Renovations / Hotel Closings / Los Angeles Hotels / Luxury Hotels / Dorchester Collection / → All Tags
Hotel Bel-Air To Close Next Month for Much-Needed Renovations
We've always been a little perplexed as to how the Hotel Bel-Air was consistently ranked amongst the best hotels in Los Angeles, winning Best Decor from the Zagat Guide and the #1 Reader's Choice from Travel + Leisure. There's no question that the grounds are beautiful and the service top-rate--it is a Dorchester Collection hotel after all. But a hotel can only coast on that for so long.
In this day and age when in-room amenity trends are changing at lightning speed (flat screen TVs are standard; hotels now use Keurigs instead of Mr. Coffee makers), a luxury hotel cannot afford to be bested by a cheap boutique hotel that stays up to date while they've still got armoires and chunky box TVs in rooms.
And despite the attentive staff and serene canyon views, the inside of the Hotel Bel-Air was starting to show its age. In fact, over a year ago we hinted that the hotel was in need of a makeover. But guess what? The hotel will finally get it.
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The Dorchester London Hosts A Tea Party In British Airways' Skies
It seems like afternoon tea has been picking up heat in London again, now that the classic hotels are updating their menus and places like Covent Garden are taking it outside and literally dancing around it. Among the top hotels for tea is the classic and celeb favorite Dorchester, which is now extending its famous tea service up into the skies.
Beginning in August, The Dorchester's complete formal afternoon tea with champagne will be found on the traytables of First Class seats on transatlantic flights with British Airways. The airline originally began serving tea in the 1940s on its Stratocruiser plane, but then that baby took twenty hours to cross the ocean, so tea was definitely in order. These days, when flights are less than 7 hours on the same route, only those paying through the nose for First Class get to enjoy the dainty cakes. Back on the ground, the same champagne tea can be had at the hotel for 47 GBP ($77) per person.
[Photo: lady_helena]
Tags: Pet-Friendly Hotels / Hotel Pets / Luxury Hotels / Dorchester Collection / → All Tags
Hotel Bel-Air Gives New Meaning to Treating Customers Like Dogs
Hotel Bel-Air is introducing the Precious Paws Program, a five-star amenity program designed to cater to man's best friend. The Dorchester Collection hotel gives pups the royal treatment the moment a pet steps it's paw on-property. Pet perks include: a "chic neckerchief" given upon arrival to fancy up the collar, a private photo shoot to make your pet feel like a cover girl or boy, and a frame for your furry playmate centerfold as a check-out souvenir.
Rooms are doggy-ready too. They feature dog beds and read-to-go dog bowls. Doggy turn-down service includes peanut butter treats personally made by the in-house pastry chef. (The recipe is available at check-out.) And if by chance your room attendant is afraid of dogs, or your dog is afraid of room attendants, the rooms are equipped with personalized door tags that alert staff when your dog is in the room.
Tags: Fashion Week Hotels / Hotel Bars / Milan Hotels / Dorchester Collection / → All Tags
Is Milan's Hotel Principe di Savoia Nixing Their Iconic Bar?
Well over New York and having just sprinted out of London, the travelers to the various international fashion weeks are entering the home stretch as Milan's shows kicked off yesterday for another week of careening about in heels and networking in the city's best hotels.
According to the Chic Report, however, the crowd favorite Hotel Principe di Savoia is in the process of remodeling or moving their iconic Giardino d'Inverno bar.
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Dorchester Collection Rounds Up New and Old Celebs for Latest Ads
Perhaps using the old adage, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," the Dorchester Collection of hotels has unveiled a new advertising campaign featuring some legendary celebrities--some dead, some alive--which began its run in this month's Vanity Fair.
Stuart Elliott of the NY Times reports that the ad campaign is quite unusual because it features some celebs that um...have checked out a long time ago.
The first ad, set at the bar at the Dorchester, has six stars, three living and three not. Noël Coward is seated at the piano, looking as if he is about to break into “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.”
Surrounding him, thanks to the use of body doubles and photographic retouching, are Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Sellers, Joan Collins, Thandie Newton and Andy Warhol. “Stars come and go,” the headline reads. “This is where.”
And you should know those pictures of Liz Taylor and Joan Collins are not recent ones. They are from their heydays so that would be the 50s and the 80s respectively.
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Le Meurice Gets All Dolled Up for UNICEF
When the arbiters of fashion, art and design descend upon Paris' Petit Palais later this month to gawk at the dolls for a UNICEF auction, the only edible entry will come from the Michelin three-starred kitchen of the Hotel Le Meurice.
The tasty doll prepared by Le Meurice's eponymous restaurant will be displayed as part of the "Frimousses de Createurs" collection, whose auction proceeds will go directly to funding a vaccination campaign in Darfur. You can see some of these dolls here.
Competing for high bids alongside fashion heavy-hitters like Christian Lacroix, Louis Vuitton and Dior Couture, the Le Meurice doll aims to up the ante for luxury edibles:
[Chef] Lesecq’s unique “Frimousse” entry is made of white chocolate, dusted with gold powder, and takes the shape of a fairy-tale magician walking two mini ‘Pistache’ dogs – the hotel’s famous mascot. Studio Harcourt, the renowned Paris photo studio, has created a signed portrait of the doll with its creator, to be auctioned off along with the doll.
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