What is it? If actress Sienna Miller were a hotel, she would be West Hollywood's Petit Ermitage. The Queen of Boho would be right at home among the quirky decor that fills the low-rise, 80-suite hotel, which lies nestled in a quiet residential street. The design vibe resonates unbuttoned creativity laced with a lack of inhibition. There is no cookie-cutter sleek minimalism here. Taking inspiration from a European pied-a-terre, local artisans have added touches of whimsy, from stencilled ceilings and hand-trowelled Venetian plaster walls to citrus swirls painted on lamp posts outside. Owner Stefan Ashkenazy's museum-quality art collection, including work by Willem de Kooning, Erte and Salvador Dali, graces the walls and he regularly trawls the globe, sourcing furniture and artefacts that fit with the hotel's ambience. Attracting an eclectic mix of artists, business travellers who like to think of themselves as edgy and enlightened thinkers, Petit Ermitage acts as a gateway to California's laissez-faire lifestyle for the uninitiated.
What are the rooms like? If we said 'quirky understatement' and 'decadent detailing' would you think hand-crafted mantels over fireplaces, hand-woven Turkish carpets, custom-crafted memory foam and bamboo mattresses dressed in 618 thread-count sheets and decorative pillow shams handcrafted in the Old City of Jerusalem? Well, you should. Bathrooms are stocked with the hotel's signature soaps, scented with cedar, amber, California grapefruit and a hint of Darjeeling tea, while the drinks cabinet is just as tasty, and up to mixologist standards. Located on the hotel's uppermost floor, adjoining the Private Rooftop Club, the Masters Quarters (above right) comprise 11 well-appointed suites each with a personal butler - aka the 'liaison to happiness' - who has the skinny on what's hot and happening. Only in LA!
What's on the roof? Discreet, romantic and secluded, the Private Rooftop Club (above left) is where magic happens. Among the rooftop's flower bowers, social butterflies breakfast, lunch and otherwise dine among hummingbirds and butterflies in a lushly cultivated sanctuary. Whether its denizens are reading a film script, having a casting meeting or writing speech notes, the tranquillity here belies the hotel's proximity to the high-octane Sunset Strip. Artfully designed, the Butterfly Bar was inspired by Kafka's Metamorphosis and Dali's butterfly paintings. The curtained private dining retreats, cabana, fire deck (where guests snuggle beneath faux fur blankets when the sun goes down) and heated saltwater pool are open to hotel guests and a number of ever-so-special key-card members.
Why else might we visit? Possessing stunning 360-degree views of Los Angeles, the Petit Ermitage conducts regular events to support the United States' National Wildlife Federation. There is a lobster, champagne and caviar poolside service, plus tastings and dinners and a Sunday 'gypsy brunch', when the executive chef forages for the freshest fare from local farmers' markets. With a roll-call of famous and, on occasion, infamous guests, intimate impromptu performances have become a fixture. Nonetheless, Miller would be delighted with the hotel's deliberately low-key approach to celebs, disappointing the paps with the comment 'that's so not cool'. With West Hollywood's Avenues of Art and Design just around the corner, who would want to check out?
What's the bottom line? Demi Suites are priced at about US$225 a night and rates range up to US$425 for a one-bedroom suite.