W Hotel 
Westwood, California

I ascend up the steps as the waterfall gently falls beneath the glassy walkway and the “welcome ambassadors” greet and open the oversized brushed bronze doors. Luggage is rushed away and all that is left with me is the simple ticket claim; which proves to be the only remembrance that I retain of my long voyage, for all stress and cares are lifted off my shoulders as the captivating lobby, known as the “living room”, pleasantly meets my eye. My perception of the architecture is contemporary design meets eclectic
retro with touches of deco in the most unique places. As I look towards the back of the lobby, I see two enlarged lamps framing a draped sitting room in front of the double elevators, only referred to as “lifts”. To the left of the entrance are various sitting areas with lighted chessboards and modernized tic-tac toe games set up on middle tables awaiting an eager player. Cabinets filled with books, games, and art along the windows face the quiet street lined in Magnolia trees and stray UCLA students rushing to class.

The much acclaimed bar, Whiskey Blue is in front of these small furniture arrangements and comes alive at night, mostly Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11pm-2am. It happens to be the hotspot in town, seeming perfect to the hotel guest who only has to travel a few floors in the lift to get a taste of LA bar culture. Yet, take note, one must call and try to make the guest list on those weekend nights after 9pm and face the grueling process of waiting for that call-back from the hotel bar (mind you, guests staying at the hotel have priority). At night, the whole living room and bar is lighted with hundreds of candles shedding light on the scantily clad waitresses serving the mid 20 to 40 crowd of primarily single girls with their Fendi clutches and Seven Jeans .The bar has an adjacent VIP room and patio decked out in plush red beds and oversized patio chairs with paper twinkling stars that hang on thin cords above. Cut squares in the cement walls, where red flowers are placed in elegant vases, are prime examples of what makes the W so distinctive. The sparkling mosaic mirror tiles make up the bottoms of the bar tables accompanying white leather bar stools that Kevin Spacey, Alicia Keyes, Usher, Cuba Gooding Jr. and many other celebrities have plumped down on. Mojo, the adjacent dining room, serves the Nuevo Latino cuisine with elegant booths including comfy pillows accompanying enlarged mahogany tables to dine upon. Filet Mignon at $34 was exquisite yet the presentation was almost as savory as the taste. The tender meat along with drizzled full flavored sauce was served on a huge plate with a vegetable presentation that can only be described as artistic. It was deliciously in good portions and quite filling. In the afternoon, for a light lunch or drink outside, Mojito will fill your craving for everything from chicken tostados to dripping cosmopolitans at the extensive bar in the back of the patio. Mojito is located right near the seashell shaped pool lined with cabanas, available for rent at $150 a day (three are equipped with televisions and one is available or pool side massages or mani/pedis).

For those who don’t believe in shelling out the extra bucks for a multi-chromatic stripped hideaway, the huge plush pool beds and pillow laden chaise lounges bid you welcome. Believe it or not, the W’s pool is open to the public community, so for all those Westwoodians, grab your towel and Burberry bikini (vital if you want to fit in with all the sunbathing beauties) and emerge yourself in the sparkling water while sipping the delicious lemon twisted ice tea. Not to worry though, if you only did bring your Speedo, the practical lap pool is located outside the spa on the second floor. You can find it by taking the path that laces around the backyard of hotel which features strictly Californian landscaping. Head turning palm trees, gorgeous rock waterfalls, lush tropical arbor matches the manicured lawns, which make for the perfect surroundings. The second floor spa has a great workout area and full spa service. Decorated with such attention to detail, all the way from the delicious lemon water available at the front desk for free to the Red Bulls and designer drinks in the refrigerator. As I wandered into the spa, I was met with the smiling receptionist who informed me of the services including: facials, body wraps, manicure and pedicure. The Women’s locker room was exquisitely furnished with marble tabletops, dried flowers and cones in tiny trays, robes, showers, steam room and sauna. The facial was a total relaxing experience with typical steam routine yet also surprisingly included a neck massage and paraffin hand wax treatment.

After the time spent in the AWAY Spa, I ventured back into the blue-lighted mirrored lift back to my room, better known as the “Cyber Suite.” 800 square foot 3-room suite, hooked up with living room, office with DSL/fax/color printer, and a bed which included the most comfortable linens I have ever slept in (250 thread count sheets, goose down comforters and pillows). The room was beautifully furnished in a classic modern style. The accent colors on the pillows matched the adjacent walls and the pictures on the wall reflected the city of LA by portraying b&w shots of the Getty, the 405 freeway and downtown cityscape. Those special details made the room so comfortable to live in, not to mention the double CD players, two 27" televisions, fluffy bathrobes, and refreshing AVEDA bath products. The double sinks of the bathroom were raised above the counter and were extremely cutting edge. One would figure they were simply eye candy, yet when using them you wonder why not all sinks are designed this way. The water stayed in the bowl and did not splash atop the marble counters. Useful art: what a great concept. The phone is equipped with an incredible feature that everyone would wish was available everyday: the Whenever/Whatever button. Pushing it allows you to ask for whatever you want, whenever you need it (if it's morally ethical and legal of course). Just dial away and a friendly voice will address you by your name and ask what they can get. Just like magic, your socks can be replaced at 3am with no extra charge. During my stay, at around 12am I acquired the strangest craving for something sweet. Not a problem, the W has that under control. 24-hour room service served me a delicious order of milk and cookies with the greatest raspberry truffle cookies I've ever had. While listening to the Sarah Mclachlan CD that I had borrowed from their extensive CD library, (I debated between a CD or a $10 video rental from their movie library) I was able to fall back asleep, among the numerous pillows and fluffy blankets around me.

In the morning, I reluctantly got out of bed and went down to the SWEAT exercise room where all of those cookie calories were lost in a matter of minutes on the state of the art treadmill. I went down for breakfast at Mojito which, unfortunate for all those late-risers, closes at 11am and ordered the chocolate raspberry French toast. Very rich indeed yet it left an unforgettable flavor in my mouth for the rest of the day to remember my adventure at the W.

Check-out was simple; luggage was shuffled away from my room within minutes of my bell call and the bill at the front desk was clearly explained. The front desk arrangement set up as sequencing blocks of cement and glass was exquisitely arranged. This elegant yet stark set-up went along so appropriately with the "welcoming agents," as the check-in people are called, all in chic black with their sleek matching headsets on. Throughout my stay, taking note of all the different people, I realized that the W does cater to a specific lifestyle; that of luxury and style. As Charee Aspillera, Senior Sales Manager, told me, their top customer is the businessman who desires to travel and work in a luxurious, stylish atmosphere as their motto "style and substance" dictates.

Style being the architecture of the hotel, the design and fun of it all, and substance being the well-equipped meeting rooms and internet capable TVs along with all the other amenities that the hotel provides to make the stay as easy and enjoyable as possible. Yet aside from what I was told, it is important to say that anyone can stay at the W. Its relaxed atmosphere beckons the family for a quiet lunch near the pool, the spa and pool attracts a girl's weekend out, the bar draws the singles scene, its romantic restaurant magnetizes a simple date for two, and of course its business side pulls in the busy entrepreneur because of the technology abilities the hotel provides. Overall, if you are sleeping there or not, stop in for a light lunch just to take a quick peek at the pure luxury and unforgettable design which will catch your eye whether you like it or not.

Ann Beisch
Style Director