The St. Regis Los Angeles Luxury Suite $2000 per night From our helicopter looking down, we could see the towering hotel St. Regis, majestically soaring up from Century City’s exciting skyline of high-rise structures––Its glass windows sparkling like diamonds against the backdrop of the business center that exists here. At the base of the hotel, the circular motor court with 50-foot long waterfall welcomes her guests. We circle around to see the incredible views this hotel affords. There's Beverly Hills virtually seconds away with Rodeo Drive and all of its eye candy storefronts: Tiffany, Cartier, Gucci, Prada, and more. To the west, Santa Monica and the spectacular blue Pacific Ocean can be viewed from the guestrooms facing the beautiful Los Angeles sunset. For the luxury traveler who wants to be in the center of the Universe or for one who claims to be so himself, the St. Regis is their kind of place. And, if that traveler happens to be James Bond, then even more so, because no other hotel has quite the plethora of state-of-the-art amenities as those offered by the St. Regis–but more about that later. The St. Regis is fairly new, having been renovated only two years ago at a price even Francesca Bortolotto-Possati might raise a brow over. Dare we say it without sounding too tacky? Well okay, 40 Million. The fact is, once inside, you’ll be pleased with the way in which they’ve spent most of their money. Even before entering the lobby you’ll appreciate the comfy couches adjacent to the motor court, under the awning, seemingly misplaced, a symbol of the comfort lurking inside. The lobby is a gigantic space, a generously lateral, and “off-center” area where the scale is surprisingly abundant. [On a style side note: what’s needed in the lobby are structural ways to traffic guests to the front desk upon entering. This would avoid some confusion and create a focal point.] The high 20-foot ceilings hover over a long front desk that welcomes and anchors the architectonic structure of the hotel. Plants are noticeably everywhere. Some are strategically placed. The artwork surrounding the lobby area is extremely tasteful–especially the enormous six paneled, Spanish dancers inspired painting hanging over the hotel’s opulent bar area to the right of the lobby. The bar, fashioned after the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis in New York City with abundant seating areas is quickly becoming a favorite watering hole for Los Angeles’ beautiful crowd and is both intimate and stylish. Throughout the lobby level, there are groupings of couches, chairs and coffee tables, welcoming an intimate late night discussion. The extremely rich warm tones and gorgeous rugs pull the entire space together in a comfortable, elegant way. For those who continually need to shun the ever-looming paparazzi, the St. Regis provides a safe haven. In fact, of all of the luxury hotels in Los Angeles, this one ranks as of the most private. Shall we go to our suite? The Suite If 007 were to create a hotel room, this would very well be it. An elegantly appointed 1600 square foot, classically designed space bathed in soft tones of gold, yellow and brown that include a comfortable living area perfect for having clients over for tea or for having breakfast and reading the morning paper. There's the television-loaded armoire replete with all of the electronic amenities. There are two bathrooms, one full and one guest, each designed in the St. Regis tradition of proprietary toiletries, sumptuous towels, plush robes and opulent fixtures. The suite includes the signature 24-hour Maitre d'Etage service who, much like a personal assistant will act as your point-person to help with the hotels numerous service-oriented amenities including dry cleaning, shoe-shining, obtaining theatre tickets and so much more. For its returning guest, the butler staff remains aware of the guest’s preferences and does its utmost to tailor the suite to that persons specific desires. Now for the Bond features. The suite features a touch pad screen on the multi-line telephone, programmable in seven languages, and four atmospheres which activates the lighting in all areas, controls temperature, turns on the television, DVD player, CD player, surround sound and calls any service in the hotel or anybody in the world for that matter. There is a switch by the front door that activates an LCD “Do Not Disturb” sign right outside of your front door. And all suites feature High-Speed Internet access, Digital Broadband Intertainment System by NXTV for digital movies on-demand, interactive video games, a branded hotel portal and digital satellite television programming via DirecTV. And should you ever get bored inside your room, you can walk out on the balcony to enjoy one of the ever-present warm Los Angeles nights before enjoying your shaken-not-stirred Martini or other assorted room-service cravings; enter a few pages into your latest Secret Agent Journal at your convenient office desk and chair; or crawl under the luscious Frette bed linens and knock out in less than the time it takes your friend to say, “Oh James.” The Spa On the fifth floor of the St. Regis Hotel you’ll find the St. Regis Spa, one of the most beautiful and relaxing spaces in Los Angeles, where you can experience everything from eyebrow waxing (move over Anastasia) to The St. Regis Royale, a 6 1/2 hour pampering package that includes a St. Regis body scrub, bath and wrap, massage, decadent champagne facial, scrumptious lunch, manicure and pedicure, and to top things off, a shampoo and style. The spa features a calming relaxation room for preparing your journey to one of the finely appointed treatment rooms. Four of these treatment rooms are equipped with showers and two have soaking tubs. The men and women’s locker rooms feature private lockers, a steam room, dry sauna, showers and the usual suspects such as spa slippers and comfy robes. Esthetic services include the soothing signature St. Regis Facial, a treatment designed to nourish and hydrate the skin. It features a special wave massage that allows your senses to drift into a state of relaxation and calm; the Champagne Facial that is perfect for all skin types will leave your skin radiant and rejuvenated; Classic European Facial that includes deep pore cleansing and treatment for your specific skin type; Acne Purifying Facial for those who have problematic skin; Vitamin C Facial for stimulating the natural production of collagen; Gentlemen’s Facial, designed for the special skin care needs of the male species; and the Collagen Eye Treatment, to immediately help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles–and we all know who needs one of these. A full-service salon is available featuring renowned hairstylist Billy Yamaguchi. Offered in his comforting feng-shuied environment are hair and nail care including Deluxe Centering manicures and pedicures that include exfoliations and paraffin wax to soften and treat your feet and hands to a calming experience. For the body the St. Regis Spa’s excellent massage therapists stand ready with the following soothing massage treatments: Swedish, Deep Tissue, Warm Stone, Shiatsu, Synchronized (for two), Reflexology, and Pregnancy Massages. Additionally for the body is The St. Regis Bath, Herbal Body Scrub, and Wrap to help soothe and cleanse away your travel woes and to help keep your skin vibrant and alive. And back to the packages, there are two more worthy of mentioning: The Travelers Delight, a two hour experience including Aromatherapy massage with steamed towels, Reflexology, and Revitalizing Scalp Massage; and the Executive Renewal, a three and one half hour specialty including St. Regis Body Scrub and Wrap, your choice of massage treatment or basic facial, manicure, and lunch. The Encore Restaurant at the St. Regis On the ground floor of the St. Regis, tucked away in the private rear portion of the hotel, Encore is an intimate restaurant experience that impressively showcases the innovative French-California cuisine of Chef Bruno Davaillon. Davaillon has a wealth of experience from which to draw from including stints at Lasserre in Paris, La Ferme St. Simeon in Anfleur, France and Tante Clarie in London. He has a passion for food and taking care of people, and it shows. Fortunately for us, here at Encore, he has created an exceptional culinary practice all his own. The semicircular dining room of Encore is at first hard to get used to because there are no corners. No right angles to create visual anchor points. I felt a sense of imbalance both at the table at which I was seated and relative to the adjoining tables. The welcoming view out the huge windows is towards the beautifully manicured gardens and multi-tiered rear landscaped grounds of the property. Large cement slabs rise up to center the comfortable outdoor seating and dining areas. Back inside, the Encore staff is extremely accommodating and took care of our every request. Encore General Manager, Bernard Erpicum, once the gatekeeper at Spago, has created this exceptional dining experience for many in the entertainment and business industries. The concept for Encore was to create dishes true to their geographic roots in Provence while adding the essence of California, using only the freshest produce, meats and fish. First course recommendations include the (absolutely must-have) roasted corn soup, sautéed wild mushrooms and fried garlic; ahi tuna tartare with tomato celery concasse, raw mushrooms in a curry vinaigrette; or the unbelievably delicate and delicious Sauteed foie gras with spicy mango chutney, cilantro and mango chips. Foie gras is a favorite of mine and this is one of the best. For entrée, I suggest the Milk-fed veal loin, corn blinis, English peas, fresh morels, lemon confit and fresh herb veal jus. Other delights are the Roasted Prime New York Steak, acorn squash, potato ravioli, watercress salad, oxtail jus. On to the dessert, where Encore delivers so many choices. Eight on this day: Valrhona chocolate tarte with blood orange sorbet, orange gelee, and chocolate crisp; caramel and chocolate mousse with espresso coffee ice cream and vanilla liquer; the simple but oh-so-good roasted bananas with hazelnut financier, chocolate milk ice cream and dried bananas. Oh and the coffee. Smooth delicious and a happy ending to a fabulous culinary experience. Encore! And lastly. The Style Group is proud to include the St. Regis in Los Angeles as one of our Best of Los Angeles Hotel selections. While properties such as The Peninsula, Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills and others may have a higher profile and awareness than the St. Regis, it is none-the-less one of LA's finest. We confidently recommend you give the St. Regis a try. And, if privacy is amongst your most prized criteria for hotel selection, then there is no better choice. Stephen Kamifuji Style Director