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Hotel Bel-Air Has Been Closed for a Year But It Still Made T+L's Best Hotels List

Where: 701 Stone Canyon Road [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90077

Once again, we find ourselves confused by a World's Best list from Travel + Leisure. The magazine has just released its 2011 T+L 500 guide which always makes us giddy as we love seeing which hotels are hot and which are not. But when we noticed that the best hotel in Los Angeles is the Hotel Bel-Air, it felt like someone popped the pretty balloon we had been holding. And then knocked over our ice cream too.

That's because the Hotel Bel-Air has been closed for over a year for extensive renovations. It is not expected to reopen until July.

So, how did this happen? According to T+L, the 2011 T+L 500 guide is "based on 2010 World's Best Awards readers' survey results. As part of the survey, Travel + Leisure readers rated hotels on several characteristics including rooms/facilities, location, service, restaurants/food, and value."

So this must mean that T+L readers are voting based on their pre-2010 experiences at the hotel. And we're not so sure that those experiences are ones we'd like to have.

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Hotel Awards / Luxury Hotels / Hotel Rankings / → All Tags

Survey Says: People With the Dough to Stay at Four Seasons Are Happy

The economy has put everyone in a bad mood. From the banker dudes who had to downgrade from the company-covered Ritz's to (gasp) Marriotts and such, to the families who wisely made the most of one double room instead of booking a separate room for the kiddies — things in the industry have changed because of the downturn, both on the guest's side and from an operational standpoint.

Today, this year's J.D. Power and Associates 2009 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study was released — and it had a few surprises. Mainly, this one: after two years of claiming the number one spot, Ritz-Carlton was bumped below Four Seasons in both the overall satisfaction index and the luxury segment satisfaction index, rankings that were compiled after 66,000 hotel guests rated their satisfaction with their stays.

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Hawaii Hotels / Travel and Leisure / Hotel Rankings / → All Tags

Hawaii Hotels in T+L World's Best Awards :: Up and Down Showing

[Ed Note: Alex Salkever is the editor and founder of Hawaiirama, a Hawaii travel blog.]

Hotels in Aloha Land have long been perennial placeholders on Travel + Leisure's annual World's Best Awards.

Rinse, repeat in 2008 but hold the coconut, surfer boy. Things may not be as glossy as they seem: several Hawaii hotels returning to the uber list actually declined in rankings.

The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, on the Big Island, ranked No. 27, down from No. 9 in 2007 -- perhaps showing its relative age?

Waikiki's Halekulani snagged No. 44, down from No. 38 a year ago. Sniff, sniff (maybe it was the bedbugs report? Although Halekulani gets bonus Obama points).

Maui, Kauai and the Big Island were all named to the list of the World's Top 10 Islands, returning to the list, but Maui and Kauai both declined a place in the rankings, leaving only the Big Island ascendant.

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Los Angeles Hotels / Travel and Leisure / Hotel Rankings / Paula Abdul Hotels / → All Tags

Why Do Travel+Leisure Readers Love the Hotel Bel-Air So Much?

Where: 701 Stone Canyon Road [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90077

So, listen, Travel + Leisure readers: we have a bone to pick with you. You seem to think quite highly of the Hotel Bel-Air, and frankly, we're not quite getting it.

See, not only did you rank the hotel #1 in Los Angeles in the World's Best Awards, but you also seem to think it is among one of the top three hotels in the United States. Really, though?

Look, we get that the grounds are gorgeous and all, but we don't sleep outside. The hotel's interior is where we spend the most time. We sleep in the rooms and eat in the dining room, you know?

All we're saying is that last time we were there, things looked a wee bit, well, to put it delicately: in need of an update.

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