The West Hollywood Edition: grit and glamour at Ian Schrager’s new Los Angeles hotel
- The luxury property plays it cool with name-dropping art, A-list guests and architecture by British master of minimalism John Pawson
- It is also close to some of the city’s major landmarks, including Rodeo Drive, the Getty Center and Chateau Marmont
What is it? The first new five-star hotel in WeHo in years, The Edition recently opened at the nexus of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, on the corner of West Sunset Boulevard and North Doheny Drive. It’s well positioned for shopping, antique hunting and viewing art. Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive, the Getty Center and Melrose Avenue are nearby and there are acclaimed beaches a 30-minute drive away. But if you want to rub shoulders with Hollywood’s finest, head for the hotel lobby or rooftop bar.
What makes it so special? There is no shortage of classic luxe hotels in Los Angeles but the first hotel collaboration between Edition Hotels creative director Ian Schrager, who pioneered the boutique hotel genre, and British architect John Pawson, a master of minimalism, adds a contemporary take on Hollywood grit and glamour that feels true to the relaxed spirit of the location. Think dramatic, airy, light-filled and sleek-lined spaces with abundant indigenous plants.
The palette is restrained and the textures soft, with smooth travertine walls and red cedar offset with playful pops of bold colour – an acid-yellow pool table, for instance – and sumptuous furnishings in the lobby. The interiors make the most of an elevated perch, with rare 360-degree views over the LA basin, the best of which can be seen from the glam rooftop bar lounge, lush outdoor terrace and swimming pool. Some guest rooms have patios.
Is it only for the seriously hip? The kitsch-fabulous basement club, Sunset, draws the La La Land crowd – Janelle Monáe performed at the preview – and the rooftop pool attracts its share of A-listers, but the hotel is surprisingly unpretentious and family-friendly, with interconnecting rooms and rollaway beds, and eight rooms accessible to guests with disabilities.
What about the design? This is grown-up opulence that doesn’t hit you over the head with a sledgehammer. Pawson’s discreet rigour and stark geometrics, with pale wood and dreamy white furnishings, are counterbalanced with trademark Schrager touches, such as plush forest-green velvet curtains and faux-fur bed throws.
Bold art pieces throughout include Scale, by LA-based German-American artist Sterling Ruby, a mobile that dangles above guests playing pool in the lobby. It incorporates an oil drum and a frying pan in tribute to the site’s former lives as a petrol station and the iconic Rat Pack hang-out Scandia restaurant (Frank Sinatra kept an office upstairs).
And the guest rooms? I’m guessing there are plenty of coffee-table books? There are 140 rooms, 48 suites and two sprawling penthouses with outdoor terraces and spectacular views. And yes, in each there is a selection of contemporary art, architecture and design books selected by Pawson. Not so predictable are the architect’s white, bright and ultra-contemporary interiors. There is a sense of warmth and sophistication in the rooms, with sumptuous beds, hand-woven rugs and enormous bathrooms.
The minibar sports locally produced products, including Papa Steve’s No Junk Raw Protein Bars and spiced almonds by Giddy Up Nuts. Adhering to the hotel’s anti-single-use-plastic policy, drinking water comes in eco-friendly Just Water cartons, which are made mostly of paper.
What about the food? Californian chef John Fraser, who trained with Thomas Keller at The French Laundry, is behind Ardor, a lushly planted ground-floor restaurant with movie-style semicircular booths in chic cream leather and a jungly terrace. The menu relies on simply prepared, locally sourced ingredients, and includes such treats as avocado on toasted seed bread and organic vegetables. Even meat lovers are likely to enjoy the breakfast tofu scramble with maitake mushrooms, carrot top pesto, togarashi and edamame, or the Green Beauty juice, made with kale, cucumber, parsley, kiwi, lime, jalapeño and pineapple.
The Roof bar and restaurant serves tequilas and wines, which can be soaked up with grilled shisito peppers with yuzu aioli and charred citrus dust,or churros with chocolate sauce, wolfed down while you pretend not to notice Hollywood actors sipping cocktails nearby.
And the spa? Expect a typical LA focus on wellness and mindfulness, with sound and light therapies and guided meditation. It already has a reputation for its plant-based, natural cannabidiol (CBD)-inspired treatments, the stand-out being the stress-busting CBD + Sticks and Stones massage, wherein therapists use bamboo sticks to release tension and deep-tissue knots.
What else is there to see and do? Close by is the landmark Chateau Marmont, for cocktails, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Gagosian gallery for contemporary art. On Sundays, head to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market or Huntington Library,home to an unusual desert garden of cactuses and succulents.
Anything else I should know? The triple-height lobby bar mixes a mean martini with Californian St George Terroir Gin and is a great place in which to people watch and play a game of Spot The Staff Members Who Are Aspiring Actors.
What’s the damage? Room rates range from US$495 to US$12,000, depending on season, category and availability.
