Who's Going
Nazarian-loyalists, Hyde-regular, Hills/Laguna Beach Alumni
Reason to Stay
Cabana Lounge, Designer Hotel, Acclaimed Restaurant
Hotel Type
City Resort
Set in the backdrop of the Beverly Center along La Cienega's Restaurant Row, LA nightlife czar Sam Nazarian sets his sights on the former-Hotel Nikko as home to his first SLS Hotel. Not just another makeover on the fly, the property has been disassembled and meticulously retooled in one of the glitziest hotel redesigns in LA memory.
The lobby oozes Hollywood glamour with two separate lobbies, each designed by Philippe Starck with raw stone floors and wood-paneled ceilings. A private guest lobby is for hotel residents only, offering an all-day cocktail lounge with tufted-leather sectionals and one-off Cassina chairs. Far more fun is Bazaar, the high-end A-List lobby scene and restaurant by chef-Jose Andre that mixes elements of Nazarian's ultra-successful Hyde, ever-evolving guest list by promoter-extraordinaires and minimalist-gilt design by Starck. Should any of these names be unfamiliar, than you're probably not doing your due-diligence of weekly Hills episodes where SBE employs Heidi Montag, one of the show's main characters.
During warmer summer months, that extend well into November in LA, a Vegas-style Pool Deck offers a cabana lounge with infinity pool and tanning ledge as well as an on-site dining room sure to be blessed with the town's most beautiful collection of model bodies and actress attitude.
The Room
We knew it as the Hotel Nikko and later as Le Meridien, two mid-range LA hotels that touted proximity to the Beverly Center as their main amenities. Once a shrine of oriental window screens and black lacquer furnishings, SLS gutted virtually ever space in the structure to make room for a signature hotel brand that hopes displace nearby Chateau Marmont and Four Seasons as the town’s A-List hotel pads. Deviating from his work at the Mondrian and St. Martin’s Lane in London, Starck continues the inspiration originated at Faena Hotel in Buenos Aires to create dramatic common spaces and opulent guest rooms. The hotel is larger than it appears with a total of almost 300-guest room arranged around long and airy hallways. Higher floors offer views of Century City or distant downtown skyline with lower rooms facing the congestion of La Cienega or rear Beverly Hills neighborhood with hodgepodge architecture. Inside, rooms mix fur-throw rugs and rich leather settees with a van der Rohe flair. Bathrooms are effective with freestanding soaking tubs ala Waterworks and reflection sinks with a stainless-steel infinity edge. Larger Fitness suites offer a collection of Technogym and Kinesis equipment to keep the Fergie’s of the world in fine form.
Preferred Room
Fitness Suite
Special Features
Oversize Guest Rooms, Pool Lounge, Celebrity Clientele
Amenities
Restaurant, Pool, Lounge, Bar
