Beverly Hills Hotel
Beverly Hills Hotel
The Beverly Hills Hotel (photo by Freddy Sherman)

Beverly Hills, just the name evokes thoughts of mansions, Rolls-Royces and the ultimate luxury lifestyle. The city, surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, is an excellent vacation destination. Its central location makes it easy to explore all of Southern California and the city itself is home to some great museums along with world-class dining and shopping.

Beverly Hills is also home to some of the world’s best hotels. Here’s my list of the top five luxury options.

Beverly Hills Hotel
Pathways lead to the hotel’s iconic bungalows (Photo by Freddy Sherman)

The Beverly Hills Hotel

The city’s OG luxury hotel actually pre-dates the founding of the city. Opened in 1912, The Beverly Hills Hotel sits within 12 acres of lushly landscaped gardens. Rooms and suites are beautifully designed and decorated, always with a modern, California vibe.

For those seeking serious privacy with their luxury, the hotel boasts private bungalows, like little mansions set amongst the gardens behind the hotel’s main building. Some are inspired by (and were once part-time homes to) celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Howard Hughes and Marilyn Monroe. The bungalows offer the ultimate in privacy as they are linked to a side street by pathways, allowing hotel guests (and their guests) to come and go anonymously and without having to go through the hotel lobby.

The Beverly Hills Hotel
9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills

Hotel Bel-Air
The entrance of Hotel Bel-Air (photo by Freddy Sherman)

Hotel Bel-Air

Although technically located in Bel Air, this luxury hotel is only a ten minute drive down Sunset Blvd. from Beverly Hills. Bel Air is an ultra-exclusive residential community, where the average home price is about $10 million.

It’s the sister hotel to the Beverly Hills Hotel (both are part of Dorchester Collection) and guests at each can use the facilities at both and have room charge privileges at both. The hotel is very private and secluded and is very popular with celebrities. Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air is the hotel restaurant, helmed by Hollywood’s most famous celebrity chef.

Hotel Bel-Air
701 Stone Canyon Road, Los Angeles

Waldorf Beverly Hills
The beautiful Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills (Photo by Freddy Sherman)

The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

The city’s newest entry into the luxury hotel scene offers something no other hotel offers, that brand new hotel experience. Accommodations and public spaces at the urban resort are just spectacular with rich materials and textures. The Waldorf Astoria is a short walk (or even shorter Rolls-Royce drive) from downtown Beverly Hills and also from Century City.

Foodies love the hotel as it’s home to the Michelin star-holding Jean-Georges Beverly Hills. Don’t miss the rooftop deck bar and lounge area, Rooftop by JG, with great city views. It’s a large, outdoor space, unique to Beverly Hills and really has great views both during the day and at night.

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
9850 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills

Peninsula Beverly Hills
The Peninsula Beverly Hills (photo courtesy of The Peninsula Beverly Hills)

The Peninsula Beverly Hills

This luxury hotel is the second-newest hotel on the list, it opened in 1993. Located in downtown Beverly Hills, it’s only a few steps from Rodeo Drive. You can also walk to Century City, another cool shopping area. The Peninsula is the only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star-rated hotel in Southern California.

The ultra-luxury hotel has 195 guest rooms, including 38 suites and 17 private villas. The big draw here are the Peninsula Villa Suites, individual villas located in the hotel garden. The Peninsula Beverly Hills is also very car-crazy with a wide range of automotive options. You can ride in the back of one of hotel’s bespoke Rolls-Royce cars, or borrow a BMW or Mini to cruise around LA.

The Peninsula Beverly Hills
9882 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills

Beverly Wilshire
The classic facade of the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel (photo courtesy of the Beverly Wilshire)

Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel

The city’s second grande dame hotel, the Beverly Wilshire is truly at the heart of the downtown shopping area, at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Blvd. Rooms and suites are very luxurious, some have great views of the city.

Dining options include BLVD, which has a great outdoor patio with world-class people watching. The hotel is also home to CUT, a very fancy steakhouse and LA power dining spot.

Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel
9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills

Read more of Freddy Sherman’s take on travel on his Go World Travel Blog. You can also follow more of his adventures at luxuryfred.com, on his luxuryfred Instagram feed and on his YouTube channel.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *