Secluded, pastoral, famously exclusive, the Hotel Bel-Air has at various times been rated as the world’s best luxury hotel.
With the hotel reopening on Tuesday after completing a $100 million renovation, that reputation will be enhanced (see our slideshow), though more subtly than that figure would lead you to believe. The 65-year-old, celebrated destination, which had been shuttered since 2009, has been brought into the 21st century with larger suites, a new hillside aerie and with its ornate, floral motifs replaced by a pared-down modernist look.
But the worry many veterans had that the renovation would strip away the hotel's intimate charm now seems misplaced. As a visit to the grounds and the chance to meet a few staffers makes clear, it’s more than ever a showplace and Los Angeles landmark.
See slideshow: Hotel Bel-Air, 1946-2009
See slideshow: Hotel Bel-Air, renovated 2011
There still are some ripples to be dealt with. As the hotel moves to its official reopening on Nov. 1, the hotel workers' union is eyeing continued picketing to protest employees laid off when the Bel-Air closed for renovation.
Also read: Hotel Bel-Air Gets Back to Business After Protest-Marred Re-Opening
But for now, luxury rules.
A key addition is the group of 12 new canyon-view suites that march up a previously undeveloped hillside to overlook the leafy environs of Stone Canyon Road.
The new hillside lodgings bring the total number rooms and suites to 103. That includes a truly grandiose, expanded presidential suite at around $13,000 per night. (At present, a reduced rate of $565 per night is in place for the less costly “deluxe” rooms.)
The hotel is part of the international Dorchester Collection -- nine elite hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei -- which is bringing it front and center among its properties, including its nearby pink cousin, the Beverly Hills Hotel.
The two-year renovation was steered by the architectural tandem of Alexandra Champalimaud and the Rockwell Group.
Champalimaud is the Portuguese-born design doyenne who re-imagined the Carlyle and Pierre hotels in Manhattan, among many others; David Rockwell's credits include Nobu and the Kodak Theater.
Together, they set out to enhance the breezy, open-air quality of the property -- without disturbing two of the most iconic elements of the hotel: Swans Aphrodite and Eros remain in their idyllic pond. They have, however, been given a new circulation pump that will reduce water consumption by 1.5 million gallons per year.
A new 12,000 square-foot building will house the La Prairie spa and an expanded fitness facility. La Prairie will itself occupy over 4,000 square feet, including a couples treatment room.
From other changes and refurbishing around the classic Oak Bar, it’s clear the management wants to better enable business conferences, with the Garden Ballroom accommodating 300 guests, and a nearby foyer and courtyard coordinated with the ballroom for groups of varying sizes.
