90049 Travel Guide
Hotel Openings
Hotel Angeleno's "Old-Time" Celebs Make the Map
June 13, 2006 at 5:17 PM | 0 Comments
HotelChatter Hollywood Star Map
We've added the Hotel Angeleno to our Hollywood Star Map as stop #14, thanks to the celeb attendees like Justine Bateman, Gabrielle Carteris, Jenny McCarthy and Allison Janney. Of course we would have preferred some more scandalous personalities like Lohan, Simpson, or Hilton but beggars can't be choosers. And Justine and Jenny ended up having some history with the place as a former Holiday Inn (Justine had a prom there; Jenny used to put her parents there in her early Playboy Bunny days.)
As if that were not enough, we are adding an extra bonus for you: A Viewlicious Photo Gallery of pictures taken during the party.
If that's still not enough for you, check out the complete set of photos on Flickr, courtesy of photog Javier Marcheselli.
Now, don't say we don't do anything nice for you.
Hotel Openings
Hotel Angeleno: Inside the JDV SoCal Lair
June 9, 2006 at 5:34 PM | 0 Comments
With all the tequila tasting that went on the other night at the Hotel Angeleno opening party, it's amazing that we remembered to actually check-out the rooms in this joint.
We already got a sneak peek at the place the other month, and we were pretty impressed. This time, we took note of the buzz floating throughout the party was that people were amazed this used to be a Holiday Inn. JDV Hospitality did a bang-up job of renovating the rooms with neutral tones and sleek furniture. Same goes for the lobby and with the hip ambience of the restaurant WEST, the hotel will be a swank and enjoyable place to stay.
Catering to business travelers, the place is wired with free wireless throughout and also has a small business center with both a Mac and a PC. The pool area is a tad small but will get the job done on a hot July day. The fitness center is mid-size with plenty of machines for several guests to work out at the same time. There's even a little coffee shop on the lobby floor where you can grab a bite to eat and a cup of cappuccino in the morning.
Lastly, despite the location right next to a freeway exit, the rooms are surprisingly quiet and not as noisy as one would expect. All of this detail is paying off as the hotel has been receiving more guests than anticipated (probably thanks to the introductory rate of $139).
There's still a bit more work to do here and there on the place. The restaurant WEST is open but only to hotel guests and private parties until June 15. The pool is also expected to be open within a week. And we think there is still some construction going on the wall that shields the hotel entrance from the view of the 405. But the 405 will never look good no matter how much you try to dress it up.
Related Stories:
· Party Dispatch: Hotel Angeleno Opening Party [HotelChatter]
Hotel Openings
Party Dispatch: Hotel Angeleno Opening Party
June 8, 2006 at 4:43 PM | 0 Comments
HotelChatter Exclusive :: Opening Party Coverage
Last night was the official opening for the Hotel Angeleno and HotelChatter has the official Party Dispatch on what happened, who was there and what tequila tastes the best.
The hotel has been taking guests since March but the finishing touches like the top-floor restaurant, West, and the pool have not been seen until now.
The crowd was a mix of travel agents, business clients (like the hotel's wine and spirits distributor) and community folks with celeb appearances by Allison Janney, Jenny McCarthy and Justine Bateman. Interestingly enough, both Jenny and Justine had stories about the hotel in its past life as a Holiday Inn---Justine had a prom there and Jenny used to put her parents up there when she first moved to LA. We thought Hef would go higher quality than the Holiday Inn for his nineties cash bunny, oh well.
Despite the corporate guest list, the party was anything but a typical corporate function. Guests were taken on a ride from the bottom of the hotel up to the top, sampling a little bit of what the hotel can offer.
Poolside there were oyster treats from the restaurant and pomegranate martinis. On the 7th floor was tequila tasting and a ginormous bowl of guacamole and chips. Heading up to the 15th floor, party guests could indulge in a 5-minute hand massage. Continuing on to the 16th floor in the Brentwood Suite, available for private events, was a Spanish guitar player and a mojito bar.
But the biggest hits of the evening were the handwriting analysts who could tell from the way you crossed your Ts whether you were a good dancer or not. Finally, guests arrived at WEST where groovy music played and people mingled against the backdrop of the LA skyline. Yet the most fun came from riding the large elevators up and down with other guests from floor to floor.
Sadly, like all things in LA, the party was marred by the parking situation and the traffic jam that ensued as people were trying to hand off their cars to the valet.
More Party Dispatch and photos by Javier Marcheselli after the break
Hotels
Sneak Peek at Hotel Angeleno
March 9, 2006 at 11:00 AM | 0 Comments
Hotel Angeleno is open! We headed over there to check on the status of construction and instead of men on scaffolding, we saw actual business travelers walking through front doors held by doormen. The valet men were busy taking and parking cars and when we peeked beyond the doors we saw live people behind the desk. Amazing!
As we took a few snapshots, we learned that the hotel has been open for close to three weeks and that only five floors of rooms are open for business--the classic "soft open", or beta phase. The pool and the restaurant, called West, are still under construction but will most likely open by April 1. Of course, opening something April First always gives folks the old "April Fools" excuse in case things don't work out.
More jaw-dropping details and astonishing photos post-click
