Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills The ongoing review discussion we have at The Style Group is, “which is the more important hotel criteria, luxury or style”. While some of our Style Directors side on luxury, others believe that style is the key ingredient to rating our hotels. Fortunately for us, The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills has both. With brand-worthy neighbors such as Gucci, Prada, Chanel, and Tiffany, The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills sits amongst some pretty good company. As a luxury brand itself, The Four Seasons maintains a solid service-oriented reputation through tough travel times since 9-11 and while many properties are downsizing or halting renovations, The Four Seasons under the brilliant guidance of CEO Isadore Sharp continues to forge ahead making sure that all of our luxury needs continue to be met. As you drive up to the 285 guest-roomed Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, emotions swell that you’ve arrived at a special destination. To the left are the usual California luxury travel capsules like Limos, Mercedes, Bentleys, all black of course, and all lined up to salute you; directly behind them is a rushing waterfall (undoubtedly designed to mask the sounds of busy Doheny Drive); to the right, the attentive valet staff rushes to welcome you and to take your car. Then there are the garden caretakers who painstakingly spray-paint the flowers green, believe-it-or-not, to keep them looking fresh. Jump from the coolness of your air-conditioned car and you are hit with the low eighties warmth of Los Angeles in the very late summer. Your walk along the cobblestone driveway to the front desk is filled with delights. Fragrant, brightly colored flowers (not all are spray-painted) quietly sit under large tropical ferns and foliage. Under the awning just before entering the hotel are the hyper-realistic, painted bronze statues of a couple, the man looking a lot like Ben Gazzara, reading the newspaper on a park bench by Seward Johnson. Enter the large glass doors and the fragrance of Casablanca Lilies and sweet Magnolias hit you via a truly spectacular floral arrangement looming over 8 feet tall, designed by Eric Buterbaugh Flower Design. Mr. Buterbaugh’s floral studio just happens to be on the premises and he is, by the way, available for outside assignments. Like a scene from a movie, the elegant lobby exists on a kinetic esthetic all its own. There are the beautiful people sauntering about, the staff taking bags here and there, floral arrangements springing to life at every turn, beautiful floor treatments of marble swirling underfoot, fashionable businesswomen in Armani suits shaking hands, all under and besides the gorgeous and hugely scaled classical architecture. The front desk staff is unpretentious and extremely welcoming––in Beverly Hills, where snobbery is almost expected, they are helpful, caring and attentive. The Suite. The Style Group’s simple mission statement contains five words coincidentally describing the 97 suites at The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills: Luxury. Style. Beauty. Opulence. Comfort. Which suite you decide upon is the only variable to consider: The chandeliered Presidential Suite on the sixteenth floor is 2,220 square feet and has a baby grand piano, decorative fireplace, and six walk out balconies with penthouse views of Los Angeles; The 1,550 or 1,900 square foot Governor’s Suites with your choice of either one or two bedrooms; The 1,550 square foot Grand Premier Suite; The 1,250 square foot Premier Suite; and the 630 square foot Regular Suite (whose designation should be changed to something more stylish than Regular). The bathroom is the place that always steals my heart and the grand-scaled FSBH bathroom didn’t disappoint. It features nice heavy bathroom doors with beautiful solid hardware, brightly polished marble flooring, sumptuous bath mats, and a deep luxurious ergonomic tub with chrome armrests, inset into a Romanesque tiled casket. Also featured in the bathroom are the two plush “white as snow” Four Seasons robes invitingly hanging behind the bathroom door; a lighted close-up mirror for shaving or doing makeup; a large vanity with sparkling fixtures and best of all; Bvlgari toiletries. Oh, and a very stylish and contemporary glass digital bathroom scale for those daring enough to see what’s really been going on lately. On the Style Group bathroom scale of our own, the Four Seasons Beverly Hills rates a Five. The Living Room The designers have worked well to accentuate the height of the room with appropriately scaled statuesque appointments in this spacious living area that is elegantly decorated in the style of a stately European manor house. There is an airy freshness to the room with rich colors in warm tones that are both comforting and modern. Generous polished bright white crown moldings top the tall ceiling heights and add to the traditional look of the space. The furnishings work well to traffic its guests through to the double French doors covered in heavy braided draperies leading to the bedroom. The sitting area is its own cozy niche with a beautiful tightly upholstered loveseat, four chairs and coffee table all affronting an elegant tall mahogany armoire that discreetly houses the state-of-the-art electronics including NXTV with 50 channels, Pay-per-view movies, and Internet access for an additional small fee. The access, though claimed to be high-speed is not, and regular television at about 20% the resolution of computer monitors is not acceptable for viewing web graphics. Also housed here are a DVD and CD players. In the corner of the room is a convenient, elegant table and chair adjacent to the high-speed DSL computer hook-up––great for writing reviews while chatting on the telephone, one of three that are in the suite. The Bedroom The bed at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is a supremely comfortable and restful experience. I pulled back the comforter, blankets and soaring thread-count sheets, squeezed underneath the mattress to read the tag so I could find it's sister, to purchase. The lofty comforter, soft cotton sheets and goose-down pillows added to the night’s restful experience. In the bedroom is an armoire with television set, private stocked bar/refrigerator, and DVD player. Lastly there are twice daily housekeeping services and 24-hour room service. The Spa Daisy Pepper has designed and created a wonderful full-service spa experience at The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. It is truly one of the most relaxing sanctuaries for the senses in Southern California. They offer many massage treatments including Deep Tissue, Shiatsu, Swedish, Reflexology, Pregnancy, Punta Mita, Body Bronzing and Stone Massage. I received a soothing one-hour Executive Men’s Facial from Akiko and melted under her experienced hands. I enjoyed the soothing cleansing, facial, shoulder and neck massage and light extractions under the mesmerizing music. I’m still aglow from the treatment. The other facials available are a Refresher Mini-Facial, Traditional European Deep Cleansing, Aromatherapy, Cellular Repair, and Antioxidant Facials. For enhancement of your facial, they’ll add one of three treatments: Fresh Cell, Vitamin C, or Glycolic to really help minimize those fine lines and wrinkles. Lastly, they have a Deep Skin Ionization Facial. The Spa also features Enhancements using Oxygen for additional hydration of your skin; Vitamin C to help firm and replenish tissue; Mini Eye Contouring to help lighten, hydrate, tone and lift the delicate eye area; and Collagen Sheet electrical application to help enhance your skin’s smoothness and firmness. The Spa offers treatments for the whole body including a Thermal Mineral Kur, a one and a half hour deluxe treatment that is both detoxifying and totally relaxing. This particular treatment begins with an organic Moor Mud body wrap, goes into an immersed bath laden with mineral crystals from the famous Sarvar Spring in Hungary and concludes with a half-hour body massage featuring a soothing mineral crème mixed with a detoxifying essential oil. Okay, who’s up for this one? The next one and a half hour supertreatment is the From the Sea experience. You start with a bath in warm spirulina algae to allow your skin to soak in these valuable antioxidants. Next you’re immersed in a bath of sea salts and sea algae and lastly you float under the hands of an expert masseuse using lavender and mineral crème. The Garden Restaurant Thanks to Conny Andersson, Executive Chef and Sean Griffin, Restaurant Chef, dining at The Garden Restaurant inside The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is an incomparable culinary experience filled with elegance and tasteful delights. The main formal dining room is a breathtakingly beautiful space worthy of any special occasion with romantic indirect lighting, rich traditional oils, and generous draperies and table settings. The Garden has a seasonally changing pre-fixe menu. Ours was the five-course Taste of New Orleans–with every course being more delicious than the last. It all started with an outrageous Creole Gumbo Soup with Shellfish Sausage; followed by the Pecan Crusted Red Snapper with Mirliton Red Pepper Slaw Crawfish Remoulade; next the Petaluma Squab with Bourbon Molasses Glaze, Crisp Apple endive salad, Bourbon macerated raisins. The main course of Grilled Veal Loin with Andouille Stone Ground Polenta, Homemade Worcestershire Sauce is so delicate and tender. And finally for dessert, the Banana Foster with Orange Rum Sauce, Double Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and the smoothest coffee topped off a truly amazing meal. $60. Without wine; $80 with. More recommendations? For starters, the Table Side Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, with choice of Apple or Bing Cherry Brioche Tart and Petite Salad; and for entrée, the Filet on the Bone with Roasted Texas Sweet Onions, Sauce Aux Poivre. The Gardens Restaurant is one of The Style Group’s favorite restaurants in Beverly Hills, and what makes it even more exceptional is that it sits inside of The Four Seasons. And lastly. Luxury like The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills has a generous way of putting to rest thoughts about work or bills, or needing to be somewhere. This is a lovely destination where time yields to luxury–a concept flawlessly symbolized by the Seward Johnson couple relaxing on the park bench reading the paper, enjoying life. Stephen Kamifuji Style Director