My husband and I currently reside in Kuwait, and we recently spent time in the U.S., with the last two nights in L.A. When in L.A., we generally stop by the Polo Lounge for a cocktail, and then go to the Bel Air for dinner and drinks in their bar. On this trip, we decided to forego the Beverly Hills Hotel and go directly to the Bel Air. I can't begin to tell you how horribly disappointed we were. We knew that they had just undergone a multi-million dollar remodel, and were anxious to see what had been done, but they have gone and ruined the old world, classy place it once was. Not sure what clientele they are trying to attract, but it appears they are trying to cater to a young and hip crowd, who enjoy loud, thumping music, in a room with all hard surfaces with absolutely no class or ambience. We decided to have one drink, and even regretted doing that.
We drove directly to the Beverly Hills Hotel, walked into the Polo Lounge and were able to get two seats at the nice, cozy bar. The restaurant was crowded with a nice group of well-dressed people, no loud music was anywhere to be heard, and the ambience was perfect. We ended our holiday in the U.S. with the best burgers and Trefethen Cabernet, which was exactly what we wanted after dining on fancy meals for weeks, and Jimmy took excellent care of us. It was wonderful to return to a place that has kept it's class and ambience and that we were treated extremely well.
We hope to return to CA in June, and after reading some of the previous reviews, I see where a remodel is in the works, and I certainly hope that management does not follow in the footsteps of the recent Bel Air remodel. We've never been fortunate enough to stay at your hotel, however, we do frequent the bar and restaurant when in L.A., and we very much hope that when we return, the hotel has retained the same class and coziness that it has always had. I'm all for updating a property, but please don't ruin what is and has always been a true treasure. Please don't go all modern and sterile and make it look like a typical "W" Hotel.
Thank you!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC