The Peninsula Beverly Hills

A favorite with Indagare members, this property sits at the top of the list of L.A.’s best hotels, thanks to a prime location, high-touch service, a lively scene, and a 60-foot rooftop pool with cabanas and panoramic views. The 195 gracious rooms, including 38 suites and 18 garden villas, are within easy walking distance of Rodeo Drive and Century City. Rooms in the French-château- style building have a classic, if feminine, aesthetic. Larger suites feel more residential, with separate living spaces, kitchens, terraces and balconies. Garden villas also have their own entrances, making them ideal for those seeking extra privacy. Guests head to the pool and the spa and can enjoy lunch or dinner at The Roof Garden and The Belvedere, which are open throughout the day, or there’s always afternoon tea in The Living Room. Elegant and discreet, The Peninsula Beverly Hills is—in a word—refined.

The Standout: The top-notch service: this is the kind of place that makes all guests feel like VIPs (one of the reasons the hotel has a 70 percent return rate) Don’t Miss: The garden villas with their own private entrances

• Peninsula Time, allowing check in (and out) whenever guests choose
• The rooftop pool and hot tub with views of L.A.
• The spa packages with multiple treatments that can be combined in an afternoon
• Complimentary use of a BMW for guests in a suite for trips to Malibu, Santa Monica or The Getty

The five-story, French-château style building was constructed in the early 1990s a few blocks from Neiman Marcus. The entrance lobby and ground-floor Living Room bustles at all hours of the day, with the right kind of interesting, arty industry people. As soon as you walk into the guest wings, however, the mood changes and the hotel takes on the hushed, understated vibe the Pen is known for around the world.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the hotel quietly unveiled a fresh new look throughout 2011 and subsequently completed another redesign in March 2018. The facelift is so understated that despite new light floral fabrics, custom-made furnishings and state-of-the-art in-room technology, one longtime guest recently asked after a visit, “What renovation?” While many of the high-end hotels in the L.A. area have been massively refurbishing to stay competitive, the Peninsula’s approach to theirs was undeniably smart and true to the brand. The owners did not disrupt hotel service and were mindful to keep the elegant, residential feel that guests have come to love over the years; the guest-return rate is an incredible 70 percent.

One reason guests return time and again is the property’s attention to service. Every employee takes a genuine interest in making visitors feel like VIPs (the white uniformed greeters remember names; regular guests arrive to find monogrammed pillowcases with his and her initials on their beds; the hotel offers to store guests’ clothing for a future visit). The hotel has 195 rooms, including 38 suites and 18 private garden villas, some of which have fireplaces and Jacuzzis. All the accommodations exude a comfortable, residential atmosphere and come with the latest gadgets and tech toys.

The sedate rooftop pool, complete with snazzy cabanas and a lovely restaurant, gets sun all day, making it a favorite in town. Decorated with sea-blue glass tiles, a Venetian glass chandelier and African cork floors, the elegant spa offers every rubdown known to mankind.

Couples and friends looking for a five-star urban oasis.