Five Things We Love: The West Hollywood Edition

For only-in-L.A. vibes, power decor, and a healthy dose of vegetation, The West Hollywood Edition delivers. Hotelier Ian Schrager drew on the area’s connection with the 1960s and ’70s “California Sound” (Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles), as well as Golden Age glam in creating the property. I checked in for a couple of nights recently and made the most of a suite with a French balcony, Cali-fresh room service (don’t sleep on the roasted artichokes), and the rooftop pool. You arrive in a drive area bursting with lush plantings, pass through the massive western red cedar doors to the soaring lobby with its emerald accents, and are immersed in total California cool. Here’s what I loved.

That Lighting

Ian Schrager is a lighting stickler and it shows throughout the hotel. Rooms are bathed in natural light and hallways glow with recessed lighting around doors. And every evening, the lobby smolders (figuratively speaking) with candles strewn throughout the space giving it a sexy shimmer.

It Smells Great

Edition hotels’ signature scent was created by Le Labo, with notes of black tea and (I think) fame. It perfumes the lobby, which is quite a feat, considering the sheer volume of air in the three-story, travertine- and cedar-clad space. Guests who love the scent can buy Edition-exclusive scented Le Labo products from in-room minibars, online, or at the spa.

Fresh Air

From French balconies in standard rooms to the Premier Villa Suite’s wraparound terrace with views across the city, every one of the hotel’s 190 rooms offers the option to let a breeze in – a rarity in the high-rise hotel world and refreshing alternative to hermetically sealed rooms.

The Rooftop

On a clear day, sightlines from the rooftop bar and infinity-edge pool stretch to the coast – and even Catalina Island. Terracotta pots set on wooden terraces overflow with flowers, bar-goers sip mezcal cocktails and share al pastor carrot tacos and ahi tuna tostadas, and it’s all deliciously above the fray.

All That Glitters

The ceiling over the dance floor at the basement club Sunset sparkles with 400 disco balls (which have never stopped spinning throughout the pandemic). Worth entry just to bask in their glitz.