Yesterday we were able to get a sneak peek at the Hotel Palomar in Westwood which will open tomorrow thus making it the first Kimpton Hotel in Los Angeles. Hurrah!
We've actually waited a long time to see this hotel come to fruition and so far, things are looking very good.
This here is room 1918, a vista deluxe guestroom on the top floor. The reason that it's called "vista" is because it offers a killer view of the Westside. Some rooms facing west at this hotel will even give guests a view of the ocean, provided it's a clear day. Just remember, that doesn't happen in LA too often.
Nevertheless, all rooms have huge 42"inch flat screen TVs, iHome alarm clock, L'Occitane bath products, and the popular Kimpton animal print robes. The hotel's restaurant, Boulevard 16 is also gearing up for an opening this week and pretty much everything is completed in the hotel, including the small pool and lounge area out back.
It's kind of refreshing isn't it? A true hotel opening as opposed to a soft-opening with half-finished rooms. Special introductory room rates start at $229. The vista deluxe rooms start at $279.
Check out our photo gallery of the Hotel Palomar below.
The other weekend we popped into the Hotel Bel-Air, a legendary hotel not only known for hosting celebrity clients (cough, Britney Spears, cough) but for having exquisite grounds only accessible to hotel guests, making a stay here one of utmost privacy.
The overall feel of the hotel reminds us of The Beverly Hills Hotel but while the Pink Palace is more public and showy and prone to paparazzi hounds, the Bel-Air almost feels sleepy. Or at least it did on the Saturday morning that we stopped in for breakfast. Still, it was a good kind of sleepy and we could hardly believe we were still in Los Angeles. So already the place wins our pick as great urban hideaway but now about that restaurant decor....
Hoteliers Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode go together like peanut butter and jelly and the duo are behind three popular hotels in NYC--Maritime, Bowery, Lafayette--and are working on another, the Riverview.
But they might be splitting ways for their next project. A very reliable tipster writes into us:
has sean macpherson bought the magic castle in los angeles? and if he did why is he doing it without eric goode but with serge becker of the box fame?
For those of you who don't know the Magic Castle is a mecca for magicians and magic-lovers located on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood. Usually, it's a members-only club although there are some engagements that allow outsiders. The place also has the Magic Castle Hotel attached to it which we've never been in but has always looked a little sketch to us.
Not sure if MacPherson is buying the Magic Castle club, or just the hotel or both. If you know of anything more, hit us up on the tipline.
Thanks to a super secret Hotel Maven we have the very first review of the just-opened London West Hollywood.
Ether spent the night there on opening night and has some pretty nice things to say about the hotel, given the fact that there is still a bunch of construction that needs to be done.
Thanks to a super secret Hotel Maven we have gotten our hands on some snapshots of the newly opened London West Hollywood.
Here's a picture of one of the rooms on the third floor. Our secret spy had pretty good things to say about the hotel, although he warns that the place is in soft-opening phase meaning there is still some active construction work going on.
Stayed tuned tomorrow when we bring you the full monty review.
It seems there's another Juliana in the world who obsesses over hotel rates.
Hotel Maven Juliana C. emailed us about the opening rates for the London West Hollywood which should open on April 1st.
Rates are even cheaper... originally 299 for the London Suite, now it's 249! There's also a free continental breakfast until May 31st. Pool and restaurant does not open until June 1st unfortunately. Alternative pool options will be provided upon check-in. This will be interesting when I check in on April 11th.
Alternative pool options? Hmmm...we are wondering what those options could be. Maybe another hotel on the Sunset strip will allow London guests to enjoy heir pool.
Also, we're hearing that the Gordon Ramsay restaurant inside the hotel won't open until sometime in June as well. That's the price you pay for a cheap(ish) opening rate.
If a relaxing weekend in Manhattan Beach is not what you had in mind for a jaunt to Los Angeles, then maybe you should check out the Chamberlain Hotel's Wicked Package.
The WeHo hotel is now the official partner hotel of the Broadway musical, Wicked, about the previously unknown past of the witches of Oz, which has an open-ended engagement at the Pantages Theater. (Pop Culture Note: Ugly Better went to Wicked this year and it was filmed at the Pantages, not at the NYC location.)
The Chamberlain is offering guests two nights of accommodations in either the studio, grand or one-bedroom suites, along with a Wicked welcome gift bag, filled with official merchandise from the Broadway production and two tickets in the orchestra section.
The total cost is $899 and apparently represents a 15 percent savings. We checked the package for the weekend of April 11-13 and found a rate of $809 for a grand king room, even cheaper. With tax, the total cost was $926.21. A studio room was going for $372 a night. As always fiddle around with the dates for price comparison.
You can probably book it cheaper a la carte but the hotel does offer suite accommodations and a Wicked welcome gift bag. Just remember, you must book two weeks before arrival in order to get your tickets.
Straight from Eater LA, we hear that the London West Hollywood will have a Midnight on Sunset bar in addition to its Gordon Ramsey restaurant. That's not all. The winner of Hell's Kitchen 4 will be named "executive chef" at this restaurant. Here's what Eater has to say:
There's limited info on the contestants, but we note enough contenders with real titles (sous, exec) that Ramsay would probably hire even without the donkey calling and shenanigans of HK. We can't see a stay-at-home-dad picking up from South Carolina to help run a Ramsay kitchen in Los Angeles, for instance.
Meanwhile the Hotel Palomar Westwood will feature Blvd 16, another hotel bar with a name paying homage to Wilshire Boulevard.
Now if only these places will open soon. The Palomar is set for summer and while the London is due for an April opening, the Gordon Ramsey restaurant won't be open until June at the earliest.
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by juliana
