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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.
The full review is after the jump.
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by juliana
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.
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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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Hotel Palomar Westwood
While NYC has its own 2008 NYC Hotel Openings Watch, Los Angeles is getting its fair share of new hotels this year.
For starters we finally have an opening date prediction for the long-awaited Kimpton Hotel in Westwood. The Hotel Palomar will open in April 2008...after much hype might we add. From the press release:
Hotel Palomar pays homage to art, architecture, fashion, dance and literature. Seeking to make each guest's stay a masterpiece, Hotel Palomar focuses on sensual décor, thoughtful amenities and exemplary service. Los Angeles' sparkling film and art landscape will play a leading role in Hotel Palomar Los Angeles' "Art in Motion" focus.
We wonder if the Hotel Palomar here will beat out the neighboring W Hotel in Westwood, just as it did down in Dallas? Although it's too early to tell which hotel will win out, we did hear that Kimpton hired Barbara Piagari, the director of sales and marketing from the Viceroy Santa Monica and the Viceroy Palm Springs, to be the Palomar's director of sales. Interesting....
And although the London West Hollywood Hotel (the sister property to the London NYC) was once set for a January opening, it will open in April instead. That's when West Coasters will have their chance to sample Gordon Ramsay's fare for themselves, rather than hearing New Yorkers talk about it. Some good news, the hotel is offering introductory rates beginning April 1 for $299 a night on its website. But we hate to think what the regular rates might be--$400+?
[Photo: Perfect Escapes]
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The London West Hollywood, a sister to The London NYC hotel, is set to open in the old Wyndham Bel Age in West Hollywood in January 2008. But we were cruising on Sunset the other day (not that kind of cruising) and noticed the hotel has hardly undertaken any renovations. Right now, it just looks like an abandoned hotel. So that January 08 date is pretty laughable.
But regardless whenever it opens, the hotel will be all-suites with Waterworks bath fixtures as well as a Golden Door spa. And just like the NYC property, David Collins will do the interiors and Gordon Ramsay will have his namesake restaurant open inside. Let's just hope his staff won't party all night with strippers, although it will be tempting with the Hustler store just up the road.
Meanwhile, if you're interested in checking out what the rooms looked like before the hotel closed down, check it out here.
Related Stories:
· A bit of London in Los Angeles [HotelChatter]
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We once deemed the Wyndham Bel Age in Los Angeles one of the hippest pool scenes in town because of its non-guests allowed policy and adjacent poolside bar.
But we have learned that Wyndham has since relinquished the hotel to LXR Luxury Resorts who plan on renovating and renaming the spot, The London.
So how will they spiff this baby up? According to a hotel fact sheet, the new look will turn the place into:
An all-suite destination that richly engages the culture, commerce and creativity that defines the iconic West Hollywood landscape.
Irish designer David Collins will oversee the new interior deisign as will luxury bath purveyor, Waterworks. British chef Gordon Ramsay will be the chef behind two new restaurants within the hotel. A Golden Door spa will open in there as well, its first urban location, and the hotel will contract the services of Quintessentially, a global concierge firm to handle all guest requests.
The new suites will have wet bars with mini-refrigerators, Queen-sized sofa bed, two televisions, VCR, two-line telephone with voice mail, Herman Miller® ergonomic work chair, pillow-top mattresses and a spacious vanity area in the bath.
The hotel is still open today under the name The Bel Age Hotel but the renovations won't be completed until late 2007. And there's no word of the changes to the pool area so we suspect this place can only get better after its stint as a Wyndham.
Related Stories:
· Ramsay opens up in Hollywood [The Guardian]
· Bel Age Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Hotel Pool Hopping: LA Style [HotelChatter]
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