The Peninsula Beverly Hills — Hotel in Beverly Hills

SERVICE: |Everyone from the valet parking, doormen, front desk staff, Living Room afternoon tea staff, Belvedere restaurant host and hostess and wait staff, and Housekeeping performed their jobs flawlessly, efficient, polite, welcoming, professional and well trained. They all contributed to my stay being such a pleasure.||Various staff remembered my name, which is so nice, and amazing considering how many guest they have come stay every day of the year.||General Manager Mr. Offer Nissenbaum, makes the hotel the superb luxurious establishment that it is. He keeps an eye on everything, if he catches anything not to his liking or high standards, he corrects it immediately. He keeps things running smoothly, and thanks to him and how he treats people, the people he hires frequently stay working at Peninsula for years. |He is gracious kindness itself to his guests, and each time I have come to stay, he has taken the time out of a very busy day to say hello during check in, and even gave me a complimentary upgrade to a beautiful suite.|Now THAT is how every Hotel Manager should treat their repeat guests if they can!||SUITE:|Beautifully appointed, spotlessly clean, very comfortable. |Lots of windows to let in the light, sofa, tables, chairs, desk, cleverly concealed mini bar, television directly across from the bed so it is easy to watch and you don't get a neck ache from having to turn your head; in essence, everything you might want. |The bedroom had an excellent mattress, great soundproofing, and well thought out crown molding valances for the black out curtains, so there is no light leakage.|Closet and dresser space was good, and there were plenty of hangers.||Bathroom - all of the usual good smelling amenities, strong water flow at the shower, big mirrors, excellent lighting, plenty of absorbent towels; and a heated seat, automatic lid lifting combined toilet/bidet that was wonderful in the luxury of it!||They remembered the things I like to eat, and along with a fresh fruit bowl (loved the firm, fresh green grapes!) also provided a complimentary amenity of chips & salsa, which was so thoughtful.||Housekeeping was right on time for the morning service and evening turndown. Very nice, impeccably clean and tidy, everything was well maintained. This takes effort and care and the ongoing investment of capital to keep rooms in such great condition. Again, this is what makes Peninsula Beverly hills such a great place to stay. They don't let their standards slip - not even in challenging economic times or when hiring and keeping capable, responsible, reliable staff seems so hard to do for most other hotels and restaurants.||FOOD:|Love the ironed white linen tablecloths, well spaced tables and upholstered banquette seating, and big wall of windows that lets in the light. |Nicely sound proofed - it was never noisy, which makes it so welcoming and relaxing to dine there. |Every single thing I had, from bagels & smoked salmon at breakfast, to the kitchen making the most delicious whipped cream ever for my specialty coffee ( 2/3 cup steamed milk, 1/3 cup coffee, and a huge side of whipped cream to keep spooning into the coffee with every sip); |to dinner where the chicken was perfectly cooked, and the al dente pasta was delicious. My friends both loved their meals as well.|Worth every penny, with attentive service.||Afternoon tea with warm from the oven scones was also delicious and the china is so beautiful; and the harp music so soothing and charming.||CONCLUSION:|Best Hotel in Beverly Hills, hands down. |Highly recommend, and will return. Looking forward to...

Unfortunately the hotel isn't really a five star. I booked a two night stay at the hotel for our family. Several issues were forthcoming - ||- the lobby area had a very tacky display of raffle Christmas items, it looked like something from a car boot sale and was really unpleasant. The large polar bear was nice but didn't fit with the other rubbish on display. ||- the front desk lady is rather hot and cold in that one day she will appear warm and friendly and another day indifferent/ unpleasant. ||- On arrival no water in the room, children left without water, had to take Evian from the drinks fridge at 8USD for a bottle, I have no issues paying for what is needed, but I think common courtesy would be to include some complimentary water bottles on arrival. ||- Two desserts were placed for the children, which is a nice thought but.. has anyone at the hotel tasted them? The worst tasting desserts I have ever come across, has the hotel no pastry chef at all? Would it be better not to bother? Especially when it's not really free if you then have to spend 8USD for a bottle of water after. Front desk staff informed that the hotel do not provide water on check in. We subsequently stayed at L'Ermitage, totally different (positive) experience, water in room on arrival along with a complimentary basket of fruits and everything was very modern and nice. ||- The monogrammed pillow case idea is a good one but frankly is this the best the hotel can come up with for a concept to appeal to its guests? ||- the whole hotel is a bit dated, the pool is in need of renovation, the hot tub was out or order and had been covered by a patch of artificial grass, I was informed cabanas and loungers were at a cost. The whole thing seemed a rather unfortunate joke, charging people for a 3 star hotel quality pool with no working hot tub. ||- The front of hotel is like a shopping centre, full of random people coming in to go to the bar or restaurant, hotel guests are made to feel secondary, it was like we were window dressing. ||- water temp in the shower was not satisfactory. Bathrooms esp showers need updating. ||- on the plus side the beds were comfortable and the room reasonably nice. ||Overall it was a disappointing experience at The Peninsula. It certainly isn't at a five star level, it has the feel of a hotel that has been left for years with no renovation or refurbishment. I booked the hotel in the hope of using their hot tub but wasn't informed that this was out of order. It was particularly upsetting to see this was the case. I would never have booked had I known that was the case. Should they not make it clear to guests that this...

Had big expectations due to price tag, but was let down. When we made a reservation, I let the person on the line know that we were celebrating a birthday and any acknowledgment (a card, anything) would be great. We arrived to the room and there was nothing. It was a small gesture that i'm sure my partner expected, and we were all let down. During reservation, they asked for my kids ages, which I provided. I thought they might have arrival gifts (typical of a hotel of this caliber) but no, no arrival gifts. We got to the room and I thought they might have robes for the kids - no again. We got the room through Amex, so a room upgrade is part of the deal. Never got the upgrade. When I called to ask about it, they said they don't have double beds in the upgraded rooms. Seems like something they should have mentioned at check in - "I see you booked with Amex. Would you like the upgrade with the King bed or to stay in the standard room with the double beds"? Pretty standard stuff that didn't happen. We ordered breakfast through room service. Everything from the kids menu was super low quality. The pancakes were so awful (dry, crumbling) both kids tried a bite and refused to eat them. The waffles were plasticky. The eggs were like the kind you get at the motel 8 continental breakfast. We tried to book a table for lunch by the pool, but they were all booked up and told my husband "no, sorry". I came up soon after to ask the same, and they said they are required to accommodate guests that are staying with them so to come back when we're ready to eat and they'll try to squeeze us in. Called concierge at 3:30pm to reserve dinner for 6:00pm at Petit Belvedere. They said "sorry, we're fully committed". We came over to concierge at 6pm to see if maybe a table opened up and they took us right in. At dinner, my daughter asked if they have ice cream toppings, waiter said yes to her request. 20 minutes later the ice cream comes out with no toppings, brought by kitchen staff. 10 minutes later, waiter checks on us and realizes my daughter didn't get any toppings. He seems genuinely upset and runs to the kitchen to resolve. 10 more minutes later, they bring out some different topping (not what my daughter requested) - and of course, she's finished eating her ice cream by then. A simple "we don't offer ice cream toppings" would have been completely fine, the circus at a high end restaurant, however, is not. No intention...