Beverly Hilton’s legacy, style and grace

Its square-shaped building with a white exterior and red lettering makes the Beverly Hilton stand out from the rest of the buildings in that part of Beverly Hills. There’s something retro about the style of the hotel, you know it was built in the 1960s and it’s managed to keep its retro vibe with modern updates. At nearly sixty-eight years old, the hotel has gained style and elegance through various renovations, and it remains one of LA’s most sought-after hotels.

Known as Conrad Hilton’s baby, Terry Moore founded Beverly Hilton in 1953. On opening night in 1955, a gala was held in honor of the new building, sitting on 9 acres. Harold Trumpeters were stationed to greet the guests with their pink painted elephants accompanied by women in bathing suits. It has always been a place that showcases design, style and modernity. It was the first luxury hotel to have air conditioning thermostats in every room. It’s unprecedented for guests to be able to control the temperature in their room. Also, high-speed elevators were installed using amplidyne technology, which, according to the Conrad Hilton hotel, “regulates the flow of power so that the elevators’ movement is barely perceptible.”

The International Ballroom has been the venue for the Golden Globes since 1961. It’s one of 150 red carpet events the hotel hosts each year. After more than six thousand people participated in the actual ceremony of the various parties held on site, the hotel becomes the center of the hustle and bustle at the beginning of the awards season. The women’s restroom in the International Ballroom was designed by Zsa Zsa Gabor, the second wife of Conrad Hilton. There, you’ll find floor-to-ceiling pink Italian marble and a line of mirrors to give women a 360-degree view before leaving the gorgeous space.

Fifty-five years later, the hotel strives to keep up with the times. The Wilshire Tower underwent an eighty million dollar renovation in 2008, and in 2021 all guest rooms, meeting rooms and common areas underwent a thirty five million dollar renovation. In between these two major renovations, the hotel added a new garden suite that blurs the lines between indoors and outdoors with a renewed oasis in the middle of Beverly Hills. The lobby features interactive design touches such as a fourteen-hundred-gallon saltwater aquarium and mural. Nancy Lorenz’s “Water Study,” fifty-seven gold-plated mother-of-pearls, is worth more than $1 million.

Rooms

The Wilshire Tower includes a light cream color palette, as well as a renovation that has seen shades of pale, aloe and cypress, and shades of white. Rooms on the left side of the hotel are very feminine, facing downtown Los Angeles or the hotel entrance. Guests will feel like they are in a special place, with spacious and spa-style bathrooms with bathtubs and showers and ample space, long balconies and large picture windows that make the rooms feel larger.

The King Executive Suite is 560 square feet. Including these shades of blue, the room feels larger, even if the king-size bed is spread out. This room starts at $833 per night. 1 King Bed Deluxe Room (starting at $498) offers sweeping views of downtown LA as well as pool views. It’s also smaller at 344 square feet in the Wilshire Tower.

The Oasis section of the hotel has 181 rooms and 8 sixteen penthouses.^th A floor enjoyed by presidents, movie stars and royalty. Robert Downey Jr. is known for his love for the 815 penthouse. Every US president has stayed in the presidential suite. Known as the “Western White House”, this means that dignitaries can move around the hotel without going into public areas. Like the Presidential Suite, the penthouses include hardwood floors, large area rugs, modern amenities, marble fireplaces, marble baths, pool tables and large windows overlooking the Hollywood Hills. A light and airy color palette gives suites like these, as well as rooms in the Wilshire Tower, a spacious and inviting feel.

Renovation of laboratories

Next to the pool is the Upgrade Lab. It’s more than a gym, it’s a biohacking gym that improves health at the cellular level. Redcharger Therapy, a bed of infrared LED lights to aid in muscle recovery and reduce inflammation; PEMF heals damaged tissues and bones and activates cellular energy; and The Big Squeeze, a lymphatic massage system that reduces excess water in the body, removes toxins and boosts the immune system. Oh, very-very-LA, these are some of the lifestyle recovery services that Upgrade Labs offers. But there are other places soon.

Going to the pool and eating

There is also a pool on the Upgrade Labs level. This is the largest heated pool in Beverly Hills, heated to 82 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. The pool area was designed by stylist and interior designer Esty Stanley and is surrounded by striped awnings, striped umbrellas and lounge chairs. Actress Esther Williams was the first to jump into the pool at the hotel’s gala opening in 1953, and forty-six years later, Angelina Jolie jumped in after winning a Golden Globe. So, after winning Best Actress in a TV Series for Gia, the actress jumped into the pool wearing a Randolph Duke dress.

Close to the pool is Circa 55, a mid-century modern-style restaurant that serves a buffet breakfast with a separate adjacent café for to-go ordering. Lunch and dinner are also served in the restaurant. But if you’re looking for a restaurant with a Beverly Hills skyline that serves us a Mediterranean menu, then Sant’olina is the place to go. Chefs Michael Teich and Burt Buckman. Many of the dishes from Tel Aviv and Beirut are inspired by dishes such as roasted eggplant with charred eggplant, herb labneh, sofrito beans, shug and arugula salad. Or an Israeli salad with cucumber, tomato, parsley, green onion, lemon and olive oil, which you can find all over Israel. Fattoush, Lebanese salad, and kebabs made of lamb, chicken, or vegetables appear on the menu. Turkish coffee and donuts are one of the most unique items on the dessert menu.

The Beverly Hilton was the first in the Beverly Hills area and has remained a beacon of wealth. It’s an icon and will continue to be so with events like the Golden Globes held there. There are many amazing hotels in Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles area, but very few of them retain the history of Old Hollywood, or if those walls are left with a legacy of retro style and glamor like the Beverly Hilton.