my husband and i are nearly professional hotel guests, as both of us travel a great amount of the year for both work and holidays. my relationship with the bel air is intense; it is beautiful and lush, and the 12 acres are totally unique in l.a., but contradictoraily there is an unacceptable amount of noise within the rooms that seriously interferes with peace and quiet...and the cardinal sin, sleep. they have never done a renovation that is not merely cosmetic, therefore, noise from adjacent rooms within each building block is HUGE. for example, in suite 155 and in charming 160, there are stairs to the upstairs rooms RIGHT BEHIND THE HEADBOARDS OF THE BEDS. yup. up and down, up and down, other guests going to either 252/254, or 261/264, not to mention housekeeping when the guests are out. in the bedroom of suite 133 i could hear the guest in the adjacent bedroom open and close drawers! in the living room of 138, i lept up thinking someone had come into our room when the guests in 136 came home (although the bedroom of 138 is recessed, and quiet). 226 is little and perfectly proportioned, but i had to slip notes under the doors of every room below me, as the opening and closing of their doors reverberated through the walls of my room. 157 is at the fartherst end of the property, and the bedroom has bad street noise from the stop sign at stone canyond road. i could go on and on. also, room service pushes trolly tables around the grounds on paved walk ways; the noise in the second bedroom of suite 150 was like someone shaking tamborines in the bed. we literally have a comment like this about EVERY room i have even been in....and that is most rooms at the hotel. we've been at this for nearly 5 years.
additionally, the locks on the doors are barbaric. i don't understand why they don't get soft closing doors and locks. it's idiotic. at the four seasons, they put a little 'bra' on the doors while housekeeping services the rooms so that when they are being opened and closed a lot, they are prevented from slamming. at the bel air, they just slam, for housekeeping, guests, room service, you name it. it's beyond me, totally.
it is an exasperating hotel. i keep going back because of the garden setting, which is so refreshing in a life of cities and travel. but i work hard and cautiously about room selection, and have no problem asking other guests to mind their doors, as i am most certainly devoted to being equally considerate of others.
in terms of service, i find the bell staff and valet parkers totally charming. i try not to rely on the front desk and concierge too much. they get the job done, but i find them awkward. once, when checking in with my in laws, the desk staff who escorted us said, 'would you like me to show you the smaller room first?", as we had booked two classes of rooms! tacky, tacky. thre was a fantastic woman at the front desk, and she couldn't take it...she left for the post ranch inn in big sur. the operators are really sweet. the food is good, although a little too high end if you're there a while. i like to order english muffins and peanut butter and other homier snacks! i live on the tortilla soup, guac and chips, and cobb salad.
if you are interested in 148 or 146, ask first if there are events on the lawn, as those rooms overlook that popular area. middle of the week is safest, i would guess.
it is going to take a gang of us to influence to hotel to finally address the noise problem. please join me! i care about the hotel and don't want to have to go back to the peninsula, which feels like a concrete palace comapared to the bel air's wonderful setting (even though the service at the penn. is so fantastic---but my husband hates that bar, it's so scummy....but that'sanother entry!) i enter the grounds of the bel air feeling comforted by all the green, the divinesmell of the wood burning fireplaces, then i head to our room knowing i will have to battle with the noise. best wishes, a fellow traveler
hotel reviews