HAUTEProperty
THE KLEIN FACTOR Ten years ago, hospitality magnate Jeff Klein officially reinvented the iconic Sunset Tower Hotel. We checked in with the ex–New Yorker to both reminisce and look forward. BY EDDIE ROCHE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA SAMPLE
COURTESY
How did this place fall into your lap? I’ve always been in the hotel business, and my former business partner [Peter Krulewitch] told me there was a building for sale in L.A. that we could get really cheap. I didn’t want to be in L.A. or even schlep out here, but I did, and I fell in love with the place. At the time, it was The Argyle hotel. They couldn’t give it away. What condition was it in? Rooms were $99 a night, and so dumpy. This building was built in 1929, and it has incredible history. It was really beautiful and glamorous when Howard Hughes
FA S H I O N W E E K D A I L Y. C O M
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3/15/16 2:55 PM