Around Town - The New and Improved Hotel Bel Air

Why is it that September seems to pass by with not much going
then October hits and it's nonstop activity
It's like the universe sends us a message to come out of hibernation from the heat of the Summer months
and then get back into the swing of things

I've been busy this week with little time for blogging
Already I've been to a private preview of the newly redone Hotel Bel Air
and a viewing the Elizabeth Taylor jewelry being presented by Christie's
So I'll get on with the Bel Air and post about the Liz Taylor loot later this week.


Purchased by The Dorchester Group a few years ago, the Hotel Bel Air was in definitely in need of refurbishing. (The Dorchester Collection includes The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Dorchester in London, The Hotel Plaza Athenee and Le Meurice in Paris, and the Principe di Savoia in Milan)

So, after 2 years and 100 million dollars, the hotel will finally reopen tomorrow. 

To me the old hotel was like an aging dowager, elegant and classic.
In fact it was my favorite hotel in LA just because it wasn't too new and shiny.
Way, way back in the day my husband loved the clubby atmosphere of the bar with it's roaring fire and piano player crooning the standards.  And I used to love the restaurant which was charming for lunch outdoors on the terrace overlooking the pond.   It was an especially heady place for a power breakfasts way back when power breakfasting was all the rage amongst Hollywood honchos and hedgefunders.

Now my classic dowager has had full facelift by way of New York interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud.
Goodbye traditional California Spanish Colonial style
Hello Old Hollywood Glamour with a twist

Here's an example of one of the rooms.

What do you think?

I appreciate the details such as the heated flooring in the bathrooms and the ipads for ordering from room service.

And here is the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant which will serve...

are you ready for this...

California - Mediterranean cuisine...

what a surprise!

Here's the bar.

It's still kinda clubby....kinda.

A new La Prairie has been added

are you curious about the prices for the treatments?

A manicure is $60

a microdermabrasion facial is $270

and

a white caviar illuminating facial is $1,000

So serene but I won't be booking spa services there anytime soon.

At least the pool and and the gardens look pretty much the same.

(my photos.... that's why they are blurry)

The hotel will be open this week for guests and the restaurant and bar will be open to the general public in November.

The hotel's website says the usual stuff about corporate responsibility including low resource usage and core values, but there is a rumor that the Dorchester Group laid off all of the old employees who had worked at the hotel for years and replaced them with younger workers.  I hope that this isn't the case. 

I will miss the lovely blond lady who was the hostess of the restaurant.  She always remembered me and would greet me with "Hello Mrs. R, it's so lovely to see you again".

Certainly beautiful rooms and amenities are important for any high end hotel

but nothing beats personalized service.

Don't you agree?

Wednesday Weather Miscellany and a Walk On The Wild Side

You might think that it is always sunshine and blue skis around here
like in this photo of Rodeo Drive

This is what it actually looked like this week

only a mile or so west of Beverly Hills in Brentwood

Fog blanketing Santa Monica and Brentwood as seen from the 25th floor

How heavy the fog can get here in Los Angeles

And, when we are not braving le brouillard

we are fighting off wild beasts

Yes people, that is a wild bobcat drinking from a swimming pool in Bel Air
The photo was taken last Friday and posted on the Bel Air blog
OK...so maybe we haven't suffered from Old Testament style weather and conditions...like some people...but the more that we encroach on mother nature, the more that she reminds us that we aren't the only animals in this urban jungle.

Around Town - Sunday Afternoon Musicale

Really, this has been a weekend of music and WOW houses for me. 
Sunday afternoon I attended a small private afternoon musicale with a piano recital by Steve Hall. 
This lovely event was held at magnificent California Mediterranean home.
It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon and the hostess was so gracious to open up her exceptionally beautiful and tastefully decorated home.
Since she shared it with us, I thought that I would share it with you.
Here it is.

The recital was held in the living room, which was great because it was appropriately sized for a small group and it had rather exceptional accoutiscs.

I sat in this hallway between the living room and the library where I could admire the Second Empire furniture and the Impressionist paintings.

After the recital was finished we wandered around a bit to see more of the house.
Here is the library.

Then we went downstairs for the reception with champagne and hors d'oeuvres in the more casual entertaining areas, decorated with less formal furniture and modern art.

With our coup de champagne in hand we admired the pool and the gardens.  Everything was so green and the roses were still in full bloom.

Like all major homes it had all the accoutrement's, like his and hers gyms. 
A spa complete with hair salon set up, jacuzzi, mani-pedi set up, etc.

 And indoor lap pool, yes, with double tv's.

 A screening room, naturally...this is LA after all.

And of course a full underground garage, which I didn't see, but I did wonder where all the cars were parked.

Now, if this house appeals to you, you are in luck.

It is on the market for $50 million.

Happy Monday!

Downsizing - The Bel Air Way

 

Well this is good to know

America's most expensive mansion just sold

Mohamed Haddid the former owner of the Ritz Carlton Hotels was asking a mere $72 million for Le Belvedere, his 48,000 square foot pied a terre in the hills of Bel Air. The actual sale price is unknown but it had to be north of $50 million.

 

In addition to its 10 bedrooms and 14 bath rooms, the little country cottage boasts a gym, a 20 car garage, an indoor theater that seats 50

and a Moroccan room with a Turkish bath because what fine Bel Air home doesn't need that!

Hadid says he chose to sell because he is "downsizing" his life. He's also confident that the properties he builds are unique enough to lure buyers, even in a down market.

"These are very special homes. I can pretty much ask for anything I want," he says. "There are certain properties that are so unusual, people are afraid they will lose the opportunity to buy them. Even if the market is 5% or 10% below, people with substantial funds will come in and say, 'let's do this now.'"

 
Over at Drudge Millionaire's Riches are Returning to Pre-Crises Levels
Ultra-high-net-worth individuals with more than $30 million to invest saw their wealth rise by almost 22 percent in 2009, faster than other millionaires, according to the report, which attributed the gain to a “more effective re-allocation of assets.” 

It's good to know that everything is back to pre-crises status quo...except of course for the 2.3 million jobs that have been shed since 2009.

Around Town - Bel Air Magazine Event For Children's Hospital

I totally feel like I've had an all media week...first an interview with an accessories editor of a local luxe magazine, then a meeting with the managing director of a major Asian newspaper, rounded out by last night's party-fundraiser hosted by Bel Air Magazine for Children's Hospital. 

I didn't even know that there was a Bel Air Magazine...I mean seriously, how many high end luxe magazines can the city of Los Angeles support between Angelino, LA Confidential, Genlux, C, and the rest of the high end group.  Well anyhoo, the magazine does exist, and as you can imagine it is full of high end real estate and luxe travel and product ads.  

The event was held at a swanky Bel Air estate which also just happens to be on the market 

for the very small sum of $26 million.  Here's a photo of the house from the MLS.

 

And here are a couple of photos from my iPhone.  

The views from the veranda and the sunken pool were magnificent but it was all rather surreal and deja-vu-ish as the house was a couple of houses down the hill from my first house in Bel Air, and few houses up the hill from my last house in Bel Air.  And looking around at the items at the silent auction, and then at the majority of the crowd at the party, platinum blonded mini skirted twenty something girls, euro types and associated wanna be's, all I could think of was "there goes the neighborhood"...but you know, in a good way, as it was all for charity.

Naturally, I had no idea what to wear to this type of event, so I stuck with my stalwart Kevan Hall dress from 2 seasons ago, simple black mules, a Karen Millen jacket and vintage Gucci snakeskin bag.

 

And for jewelry I opted
for yellow and blackened gold flexible tubogas choker necklace and matching bracelets with diamonds, and a big pair of diamond earrings.

Diamond Necklace and Bracelets in Black and Yellow Gold

Thankfully the weekend is finally here, with no more events planned except for a family barbecue for Father's Day, and I can spend it dressed in my cargo shorts, birkenstocks and t-shirt!

Basking In The Blue In Bel Air

pretty pool with tennis court in the background


the shady spot

Miss de Ville texting les garcons

While Wendy B has been of frolicking in France in her Francis frocks...I've been hanging around home and this past weekend I said enough...it's too hot to hike I need a cool place to decompress from a week of woe.

Fortunately I have friends with nice places, and there's no where nicer in Los Angeles than old Bel Air, so Miss de Ville and I enjoyed an afternoon by the pool and swimming. Later as it cooled off we spent some time waddling around...I mean running around...on the tennis court.

A fun time was had by all.

Cartier's Bel Air Road Show

Courting the Superwealthy at Cartier Atelier
Eager to Keep Its Luster, The Jeweler to Maharajahs Takes Its Cases on the Road

Christina Binkley in yesterday's Wall Street Journal reported on Cartier's new strategy to reach high end clients.

Anxious about losing its luster, however, Cartier is aggressively stalking the superwealthy in their own natural habitat. Cartier's U.S. chief executive, Frédéric de Narp, last year recruited art adviser Carl Adams from Christie's auction house, where Mr. Adams had assembled an enviable Rolodex. As Cartier's vice president of business development, Mr. Adams organizes 18th-century-style salons that give Cartier access to the nation's leading socialites in their own homes. "We want these influential women to understand the heritage of the brand," Mr. de Narp says.

The luxury house doesn't sell anything at the events. Rather, it aims to build relationships with future customers so that when someone wants to buy a $150,000 bracelet, she thinks of Cartier first.
"I'm trying to build an awareness that Cartier -- at a certain level -- still exists," Mr. Adams says.
Last Thursday afternoon, 44 bejeweled women gathered at the Bel Air home of Carla Sands, wife of real-estate mogul Fred Sands. The guest list was chosen jointly by Cartier and Mrs. Sands. "I've known the hostess for years, and I knew the caliber of the people she would invite," Mr. Adams said. He'd already held "Cartier ateliers" in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Palm Beach, Florida.

Now just in case you weren't on the guest list for Cartier's Bel Air Road Show...and you aren't in the market (just yet) for that 51 carat yellow diamond ring....Beladora.com has some great vintage Cartier baubles like this sleek Ellipse ring.