When In Hollywood...
By Elyse Glickman
One sure sign that a new boutique hotel has made its mark is when a hotshot event planner such as Gavin B. Keilly anoints your lobby and public spaces as the pre-2010 Oscar meeting and grazing spot. However, that achievement pales next to one amazing statistic–the hotel’s rooms sold out in a mere two weeks after its opening and reservations have been hovering at an unprecedented 90% capacity ever since. And it gets better from there…
The Red Carpet Treatment
The W Hollywood’s lobby opens up grandly into a wide-screen, Panavision kind of affair, right down to red carpet welcoming entrances anywhere a guest happens to step. The visual impact is not subtle—a space awash in red carpets and anchored by a towering spiral staircase. From that first look, we instantly get the notion every nook, cranny, and amenity is designed to make those who stay there feel like a VIP.
Speaking of which, a key scene from the current season of HBO’s Entourage was shot in that impressive lobby serendipitously during a conference of Warner Bros.’ executives (HBO’s parent company). W Hotel’s most famous signatures (SWEAT® Fitness Center, Whatever/Whenever® service, WiFi, W Hotels’ The Store, and a list of services that should be registered with the Library of Congress) are in place. However, what lies beyond that reveals this W ups the ante on many levels.
The Wow Factor
In describing how the W Hollywood brings “hands-on” attention to details to dizzying heights, a good place to start is The Bliss Spa. Though its counterpart at the W Brentwood is charming and chic, W Hollywood’s version turns the spa experience on its head. Cheese and sweets sit jauntily alongside water and teas in the waiting areas. Walls and treatment rooms in the “Backstage” area are adorned with playful sayings. Blues and rock replaces the New Age and meditation music. There is no Buddha or dream catcher to be found in the clean, comfy expanse.
Adjoining the Living Room and lobby on the ground level is “Station Hollywood,” lining Hollywood Boulevard and the Metro station. By day, it is a chic urban enclave. At night, it becomes a screening room, concert hall, or gallery experience, with a hidden giant movie screen that descends to transform the patio into its own distinctive space. The business areas are loaded with amenities that allow anybody hosting a business meeting to simultaneously live out their fantasy of being a “director,” from WiFi to Sensory® Set Up amenities that transform the most drab PowerPoint presentation into a deal-making event.
The W Hollywood also amps up the concept of concierge for business and vacationing guests with a “W Insider.” W Insider Chris Nelson captures the swagger of the Entourage crew, stating his involves far more than booking dinner and theater reservations. He is the ultimate, in-the-know local who doesn’t only know what’s hot right now, but also what will be hot in six months, and can make you one of the first to experience it. “I make dreams come true,” he says. “It’s my job to go beyond requests and get into the nooks and crannies of guests’ wants and desires, and makes those happen. I don’t only guarantee a great visit—I expand people’s horizons."
What’s Next…
The new-and-improved Drai’s Members-Only lounge keeps the venue’s old ultra-exclusive cache alive, while rooftop Drai’s Hollywood opens that experience to more people with a continental cuisine menu and more than 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space encompassing a pool bar and dance floors that seem to stretch to the Hollywood sign. Guests seeking a quieter evening will find French restaurant Delphine most appealing. Instead of the ‘60s inspired mod décor many W fans are used to, Delphine bears a resemblance to the French Riviera as it was captured on film during the 1950s. The Living Room does informal grazing chic to a Mediterranean tune. However, its real showstoppers are the cocktails, with unusual mixes of fruits and artisanal spirits.
The W Experience, internationally...
If you find yourself thinking, “Hooray for W Hollywood,” Jim McPartlin, General Manager of W Hollywood, says you’ll also love the unique experiences of W South Beach (which has its own W Insider), W Barcelona, W Santiago (Chile), W London, and W Vieques Retreat and Spa, the brand’s first full-scale, free standing resort on an island off the coast of Puerto Rico. All properties capture the W’s unique packaging of luxury, but reflect the character of the cities and places where they are based. However, if you’re keen on checking out and checking into W Hollywood, he stresses reservations should be made at least two to three weeks in advance of the planned stay or meetings.
