At a Glance
At the top of Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Wilshire (known by many as the Pretty Woman hotel) has great service and a fantastic spa, but interiors and amenities can feel dated.
Review
This landmark property is situated at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills’ shopping headquarters. The Italian Renaissance–style lobby sets a grande dame backdrop but the rooms and other common spaces are much more contemporary in look and feel. The 395 rooms and suites are located in the Wilshire Wing and the Beverly Wing. The ten-story Wilshire Wing is the original building and rooms here come with all-marble bathrooms that include flat-screen TVs and furniture that is surprisingly au courant. Accommodations across the way in the Beverly Wing are a tad less spiffy, but their larger windows bathe the rooms in sunshine.
A highlight is the stunning 8,500-square-foot spa that manages to look expensive and Zen at the same time, with walnut, etched-glass, alabaster and limestone details. Before you reach the ice fountain or the aromatherapy-crystal steam room, you pass a massive amethyst geode poised in front of a water wall of changing colors. If you book four or more hours of Personalized Time, putting yourself in the hands of a therapist who guides you through the menu of treatments and rituals, lunch is on the house. The other eye-popper is the pool area, serene and modern, with private cabanas that can be rented (complete with flat-screen TV, iPod and two fifteen-minute foot massages). A state-of-the-art gym with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooks the pool area.
Written by Betty Goodwin