CitySuite
Painting The Town Redbury
The Redbury Hotel, Hollywood, California
A stunning, slightly irreverent take on urban hotel renewal underscores Hollywood’s
melding of transformation and tradition.
By Elyse Glickman
Notes from the Concierge Desk
Jerah Marquardt of the redbury suggests
Shopping & People Watching
“At Hollywood & Highland Center, you can visit Academy Awards central - The Kodak Theatre - or visit old Hollywood at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. There are also, of course, a nice selection of familiar and one-off stores, restaurants, and bars.”
Culture
“If it is Hollywood history you seek, just look down! The Hollywood Walk of Fame is right on our doorstep. In the evening, you can catch a show at The Pantages or a concert at The Palladium.”
Nightlife
“We offer VIP access to The Colony, one of the area’s hottest lounges designed with the sophisticated guest in mind. If rock and roll is your style, we recommend the classic venue The Avalon, just up the street.”
A stone’s throw from the fabled Hollywood and Vine intersection, The Redbury Hotel is aligned with the ambitious goal of transforming Hollywood into a more modern place to live, work, and play. So far, it succeeds with a bohemian-luxe design dreamed up by Creative Director Matthew Rolston. While Rolston has international notoriety for capturing modern celebrity glamour in his photography and music video resume, his transformation of an old property makes his fantasy world a reality for guests.
A decidedly homey feel thematically connects 57 individually decorated and nicely appointed guest flats, each with its own furnishings and accents drawn from a variety of old-world cultures. Even with its own buzz, Cleo, its equally buzzed-about restaurant, is plushly comfy enough to double as a rock star’s private living room, waiting for its close-up in InStyle’s home section. Whether one stays for a day or longer, the idea is to literally make the guest feel at home—pampered, comfortable, and safe—albeit in one of L.A.’s busiest and most rapidly changing neighborhoods.
Friends with Benefits
In most cases, a hotel room is still a hotel room, even if it is in one of the best addresses in the city. At The Redbury, however, each suite is set up to be a true home-away-from-home. Residentially inspired touches include a nicely upholstered English roll arm sofa, giant HD-LCD television, Persian rugs, hand-done drawings and oil paintings, jauntily placed vintage rock posters, record player with vintage vinyl records, washer/dryer unit, and the kind of hypo-allergenic bedding and linens you’d cheerfully buy for your own home.
Taking a city stay to new levels of personalization, the Redbury makes it possible for a guest to “home-entertain” his or her colleagues, thanks to each room’s generous kitchen, self-contained patio or balcony, and delivery service from SBE’s Katsuya Hollywood and nearby grocery stores. Other unique in-room offerings include chef services and customized Pilates and yoga classes.
Though Rolston’s approach may recreate the experience of staying at your well-heeled best friend’s place, the perks of a well-run big city hotel are omnipresent. Doors to individual rooms are painted a different color—an idea Rolston adopted from a popular Dublin, Ireland, custom enabling Georgian townhouse owners to distinguish their dwelling from their neighbors’.
Business with Pleasure
While the hotel bills itself as one that “caters to the business traveler connected to the worlds of music, fashion, and entertainment,” executives from less showy trades (i.e. financial services, medical, real estate, and manufacturing) will find themselves just as inspired. While food from Cleo and Katsuya are an obvious draw for group meetings, high-tech essentials are within reach, including hotel-wide WIFI access; iPad, laptop, and printer rentals; full printing services; shipping/messenger services; and everything else to transform the guest’s “second home” into a wonderfully intimate conference space.
Cleo and the public areas are adaptable for larger meetings and are just as aesthetically stimulating and intimate. While the Library Bar is not open to the public, it can be booked for meetings and set up for a variety of audiovisual presentations. The adjoining “Glade” outdoor area is perfect for a spring or summer cocktail hour or passed appetizer gathering that will leave your out-of-town colleagues with a very positive impression of Hollywood and the L.A. lifestyle.
Hearth and Home
While Cleo’s Executive Chef Danny Elmaleh’s dining venue meshes perfectly with Rolston’s aesthetic vision, it also stands alone as a destination. The décor of the room blends a Parisian bistro with a pictorial Hollywood tribute worthy of the nearby Egyptian Theater. Theda Bara and Elizabeth Taylor watch over you as you partake in a menu that blends classic Greek fare, Middle Eastern mezze, and refined Spanish tapas.
Semi-savory desserts and quenching, market-driven cocktails complete a gorgeous and delicious picture. Vegetarians in particular will particularly enjoy the menu, even though there are plenty of options for omnivores to make repeat visits and never have the same meal twice. The bread offered with surprisingly addictive items such as fried brussel sprout “chips,” carrot-harissa and cucumber-yogurt dip is a meal in itself.
While Cleo is romantic, it is also a fine choice for an after-theater meal with a larger group, thanks to its dramatic, share-inducing presentation and conversation starting libations. The finger food with flair can also be prepared for private business meetings in one’s room, The Library, or Glade.
As the Redbury is your home for your stay, you can enjoy the sensory feast any way you want to!
Outside Your “Front Door”
The Redbury Concierge service has quickly gained fame for crafting all kinds of customized “only in L.A.” adventures for guests, such as guided architectural and landmark tours, canyon hikes, horseback riding excursions, farmers’ market tours, surfing lessons, and exclusive one-on-one visits to film and music productions.
