Winter 2011/12 Digital Edition

 

Though the imposing, graceful structure at Beverwil and Pico has seen many incarnations (including a brief stint as a Loews property), its best days are yet to come. Though the recently rechristened Mr. C Beverly Hills is a sensory tribute to the era in which it was built, the new owners (Italy's Cipriani hotelier family) wisely avoided the now familiar Hollywood Regency thing in favor of something far more interesting.

"We were not going for 'Old Hollywood,'" states interior designer Marcello Pozzi, who worked closely with Ignazio Cipriani to make sure the design upheld the family's high standards while still fitting its Southern California location and mood. "I was inspired by Italian design of the '40s and '50s, albeit with more modern touches such as chrome accents and custom furnishings, lighting sconces and chandeliers done for us by Tedeschi USA."
The open, airy lobby makes an instant impact. For a moment, you may feel as if you've walked onto a patio on the Italian Riviera, where the person ordering a drink next to you may just be Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, or Gene Kelly. However, Pozzi also emphasizes Mr. C is very much a 21st-century destination that's as diverse as the clientele it has already attracted since its summer 2011 opening.
"We did not design the suites and public areas for photography in a design magazine," he affirms passionately. "We designed them to enable guests to feel the luxury rather than just look at it. Suites include flip-up side tables and night stands. We have pull-out trays in the Library and bar areas, hidden drawers and so on (that results in making Mr. C) the hotel that adjusts to you."
"The arrival experience starts in the way the guest is met on the driveway and promptly escorted to the lobby lounge, where we immediately serve him a Bellini cocktail," General Manager Sam Jagger explains. "It's a departure from the usual check-in process where you head to a front desk, show your credit card, and fill in the paperwork. We're also all about those special extras, such as complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel, and two house cars available on a first-come/first-served basis to drive guests to places of business, dining, and recreation within a three-mile radius of the hotel."

That said, Mr. C's own, intensely charming restaurant should not be missed. Classics such as Rigatoni alla Bolognese, roasted duck, and buratta cheese with heirloom tomatoes are as deliciously authentic as anything you will eat in the Italian countryside. The menu also features international Cipriani signatures, such as variations of Bellini cocktail, as well as only-in-L.A. features such as the Mr. C cocktail (made with fresh Mandarin orange and I-Spirit Vodka), Mr. C flatbread pizza, and a crudo menu.

While Mr. C's does not have a formal business facility, Pozzi wryly states this was intentionally designed that way. The "Library Lobby" replaces both the check-in area and the traditional business center, but guests can rest easy knowing many vital business services are readily available on request, including iPad and laptop rental, document print-outs, and some perfect accoutrement for downtime: a well-appointed gym, a glass-and-chrome billiard table, and live piano bar music every night.

Of course, you can't forget the private spaces, and certainly the Cipriani family sure didn't. The private areas are comprised of lodgings that range from the efficient and sleek Studio with an open floor plan, the impressive two-room Signature Suite with dark flooring and other rosewood accents, luxuriant Classic Suite with a media center and (coming soon), its own ultra-premium "C-Suite" that will range from 800 to 1,165 feet.

La Dolce Vita is back in L.A., and it's better than ever.

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The Hotel Wilshire

 

 

Killefer Flammang Architects, in conjunction with OSM Investment Company and Greystone Hotels, recently did the miraculous by transforming an unassuming medical office built in 1951 into a luxury boutique hotel. A neutral color palette and asymmetrical room furniture arrangements lend themselves to a calming ambiance that's exactly what the doctor ordered after a long day of travel, meetings, or sightseeing.  The integration of additional structural frames, beams, and columns were required to support a new rooftop pool, a Chef Eric Greenspan-helmed restaurant, bar, cabanas and Penthouse that end up being more than the sum of their parts.

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Custom Hotel

8639 Lincoln Blvd  
Los Angeles, CA 90045
310/645.0400
customhotel.com

 

Have a client that's jetting in for just a night or two? You could put him or her up in one of the many LAX-adjacent airport hotels. Instead, why not select the Custom Hotel--a real "Airport Hotel" built in the 1960s that celebrates that bygone era of travel, but in a way that is unquestionably 21st century? If you do, they will love you for it--especially if the first thing they experience outside LAX is Katsuo "Naga" Nagasawa's Deck 33, or a jaunty business gathering at Hangar 39, a bar/lounge, and creative event space. There is an interactive installation behind the front desk, the Custom Hotel "photo booth," enabling guests to become part of a dynamic artwork of rotating images.

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The Shore Hotel

1515 Ocean Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310/458.1515
shorehotel.com

 

The Shore Hotel, opened in October, is the first and only newly built sustainable hotel in Santa Monica to be Silver-LEED-certified. However, one of the most brilliant things about it is that it looks like a fabulous mid-century home that's been "retro-fitted" into a boutique hotel. Designed by Gensler Architecture, who brought you the new-and-improved Beverly Hilton, The Ritz-Carlton, & JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE, The Shore neatly packages the California coast experience for visitors, from meeting and event space to in-room beauty and spa services, 24-hour fitness and business centers, and a solar-heated pool.

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Westlake Village Inn

31943 Agoura Rd  
Westlake Village, CA 91361
866/539.0036
818/889.0230
westlakevillageinn.com

 

It is poetically ironic that a newly installed organic sanctuary on the site of a former nearby gas station located at the corner of Agoura and Lakeview Canyon will bring more old-world charm to Westlake Village Inn, down to olive trees and vines sprouting Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah grapes. By early 2012, the re-thought area will include The Stonehouse, a gourmet coffeehouse and tasting room to be built on the site by Aarons Architects of Westlake Village. By day, the Tuscan-inspired venue will serve barista-blended drinks and signature baked goods in a café-style setting. As the day progresses, it will serve as a tasting room where guests can sample fine vintages paired with artisanal cheese and charcuterie plates.

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The Hotel Erwin

1697 Pacific Ave
Venice, CA 90291
310/452.1111
hotelerwin.com

 

Surf's up again in Venice, thanks to the ways Joie De Vivre Hotels' team of architects and designers transformed the former Marina Pacific Hotel into the Hotel Erwin. The redesign makes the most of the iconic beach town's most distinctive attributes, from nearby art galleries and funky shopping along Abbot Kinney to quirky people watching opportunities along the beachfront that's a mere 200 feet away. Adding to the hotel's ever innovative vibe is Barlo and its ever-rotating "barn to belly" dishes created by Executive Chef Jason Wiggin and drinks that spin fresh farmer's market ingredients into unusual, statement-making bites. Guests and hosts wanting more of a beach scene can high-tail it to the High Rooftop Lounge.