| Hotel Bel-Air | |
|---|---|
| Hotel Bel Air pool | |
|
|
|
| Location | |
| Location | Bel-Air, California |
| Coordinates | |
| Opening date | 1946 |
| Rooms | 103 |
| Website | Hotelbelair.com |
The Hotel Bel-Air is a boutique hotel located in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California. The hotel is owned by Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei. It is part of the Dorchester Collection group of international luxury hotels. Rates run from $565 a night for the most modest room to $4,800 for a hillside suite.[1]
Contents |
Since opening in 1946, the 103-room[2] facility located on Stone Canyon Road, has served many celebrities, heads of state and dignitaries. It was originally built by Alphonzo Bell, who developed the area and founded Bel-Air Estates. Originally built as office space and riding stables, it was purchased in 1946 and converted into a hotel by Texan entrepreneur Joseph Drown.[3]
Joseph Drown's partner in the Hotel in the early 1950s was Ted Chanock, a former Chicagoan. Chanock and Drown remained partners until Chanock's death in 1973. Chanock's wife, Frances, remained on as a permanent resident as a condition of the Rosewood purchase agreement with the Joseph Drown Estate in the 1980s.[4]
It was developed as an oasis, a hideaway within the city. Drown added Swan Lake which guests must cross by foot bridge to get to the hotel. The grounds are planted in ficus, fig, palms and continuously-blooming flowers.
The hotel reopened in October, 2011 after a two-year renovation.[5] Upon reopening, management refused to rehire laid off unionized employees. This resulted in street demostrations and calls for a boycott.[6]
The hotel has been on the Mobil five star list more than any other hotel in California and enjoys numerous accolades including "#1 in the U.S." by Travel and Leisure, rated "#1 Boutique Hotel in the U.S." by Departures Magazine, and was recently listed as one of the "Top 25 Hotels, Past 25 Years" by Institutional Investor.