The Viceroy Santa Monica has been bringing out the cool gimmicks for ages. They once had a video game coach back in 2005 although we're sad to report that job no longer exists. Yet now with summer coming, the hotel is bringing out a few more tricks to keep us interested.
This time it's a pool concierge who's going to provide "special poolside amenities" from the Memorial Day weekend all the way through to Labor Day. These include waterproof games to play when you're resting poolside and the pool concierge will also help you coordinate trips to the beach by providing sunscreen, towels and a beach picnic. But if it's a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, get back from the beach by 2.00pm, because there's a surprise snack or drink, like a glass of champagne or a homemade popsicle.
If you feel like you've been out in the sun too long, you'll also be able to climb into a couple of the poolside cabanas which will be converted into mini movie-theaters. While you watch they'll bring you popcorn and kids will get drink choices like chocolate milk and fresh lemonade from a special menu. We hope that adults will be allowed a glass of chocolate milk, too.
Tuesday night we hit up the Estrella Spa Soiree at the Viceroy Santa Monica. While the Viceroy doesn't have its own spa on site (it does however offer in-room treatments), its sister property The Viceroy Palm Springs runs the Estrella Spa which brought up some therapists and mini-spa treatments specifically for the soiree.
Guests were able to receive foot, hand and back massages. Stila makeup was on hand offering make-up consultations, Epicurean was showing off hand scrubs, Red Flower displayed their entire line of beauty products and get this, the Chocolate Sun skincare line (which is made of all organic ingredients) was giving guests the Chocolate Sun Spray Tan. Yes, a spray tan made of cocoa!
That means, no hotel rooms, no partying by the pool, nothing. And we also hear from our gaming industry insiders that you need a Microsoft badge/pass/ID to get into any event that's being held at the hotel. We even think you might need this pass just to eat at the hotel restaurant!
However, rooms are once again available starting July 14th at a hefty price of $489 a night.
And interestingly enough, last time we checked Viceroy Santa Monica had Sony Playstations in their guest rooms. Let's hope Microsoft can gift them with a few (repaired and upgraded) Xboxes on their departure.
The Shangri-La in Santa Monica, built in 1939, is closing its doors for a little while to undergo a $25 million renovation. When the property reopens in the spring of '08, it aims to be known as "Hollywood's oceanfront hotel."
All rooms on the property are set for a total makeover and 17 new ones will be added, kicking the room count up to 71. The lobby's getting completely remodeled, with a brand new restaurant and lobby bar added as well. They're planning to build an elevated pool and a bunch of private cabanas around it, plus an awesome-sounding rooftop bar that features a "covetable vibe." You know how we love our rooftop bars, especially those at which the vibes are covetable. Yes.
What: Gourmet Magazine is hosting their annual "Gourmet on Fire" event here with chefs David Meyers, Neil Fraser, Jill Davie, Suzanne Tacht and of course, the Loews' own chef Gregg J. Wangard who mans the Ocean & Vine restaurant.
The tickets are $90 a piece and LA Eater reports that 10 percent of the price goes to Morgan Freeman's Granada Relief Fund. Additionally for ice cream junkies, Haagen Dazs is serving the three final flavors selected for their nationwide search for a new flavor. Pickled risotto banana cream pie anyone?
As promised, here is the video room tour of the Viceroy Santa Monica, dog lamp and all. Remember if you have a hotel video tour of your own, you can upload it to the HotelChatter YouTube Group and share it with the world. Or if you're shy, then you can just watch ours.
Yesterday, we gave you some chances to Guess the Hotel and most of you were spot on about which hotel features a dog lamp in their rooms. And it's the Viceroy Santa Monica! As for the dog breed, we are pretty sure it's King Charles Spaniel but MLCohn was somewhat close when she guessed a Lhasa Apso. DonBrown also was close with his comment that the dog is a "pain-in-the-ass yapper."
We admit we're not the world's biggest fans of The Bachelor, but we have been looking forward to seeing the upcoming season ever since Tuesday. See, that's when we found out that the crew--including the latest eligible stud--were recently seen cavorting around the pool at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel:
They're filming the next season of 'The Bachelor' at the pool here. All the contestants were running around doing some kind of a triathlon...When he was all done, and the cameras were off, he pulled a sock out of his swimsuit.
Yikes. You don't need to go that far just to hit up the hotel's pool, which is at the center of the property, overlooking the Pacific. It may not be regulation size for our triathlete, but, then again, he's apparently not into standard equipment.
In his defense, it is always so cold at that pool.
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by amandak
