Eat. Shop. Sleep.
LOS ANGELES
FL
A: TO L S T IGH
Experience First-Class Sun Country Style.
SLEEP
Andaz West Hollywood 8401 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 323-656-1234, westhollywood.andaz.hyatt.com by rudy maxa
In a hotel world that’s been sliced into dozens of categories — boutique hotels, extended-stay hotels, budget-hotels, all-suite hotels — it’s refreshing to step into a well-located property that marries the modern with that mainstay of a great hotel: warm service. Just next door to The Comedy Store on Los Angeles’s Sunset Strip, and just across the street from the House of Blues, and a short walk to the bar at the Chateau Marmont, the Andaz West Hollywood welcomes guests into an informal lobby: Instead of a check-in desk, guests are greeted by casually dressed staffers who use laptops to assign rooms. Complimentary fruit and espresso are nearby, and in the evening, wine is on the house. Old-time rockers will remember the Andaz West Hollywood as a Hyatt favored by rock bands. In the ’80s and ’90s, Little Richard lived in room 319, Led Zeppelin rented six floors in the ’70s, and either drummer John Bonham or Zeppelin tour manager Richard Cole (the documentation is vague) drove a motorcycle down the hallways. Most famously, The Who’s Keith Moon reportedly dropped a television set off a balcony, and The Doors’ Jim Morrison was evicted after hanging from a window ledge by his fingertips. Those crazy years give the hotel’s casual (and only) restaurant — serving a menu informed by the southwestern France roots of chef Pierre Gomez — it’s name, RH, a nod to the hotel’s former nickname, the Riot House. And while the hotel is still a Hyatt — Andaz is Hyatt’s hip brand — a total renovation three years ago resulted in a sophisticated hotel with RH’s gleaming, open kitchen on the ground floor and, on the roof, a pool made for fashion shoots. The hotel has revolving art displays throughout the public areas, and walk-ins are welcome. The balconies of the 14-story hotel are gone now, giving each room facing Sunset Boulevard a sun room that offers panoramic views of Hollywood below or of the Hollywood Hills. Since the hotel’s opening in 2009, former general manager Michel Morauw infused his staff with a commitment to service that’s reflected from your arrival, when you’re greeted by a cheery valet parker, to that unfortunate moment when you must check out.
86 Artful Living
| Autumn 2011
Artful-LivingMag.com
PhotoS Courtesy of ANDAZ WEST HOLLYWOOD
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