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The two luxury hotels have put together an eight-day package - and if you must know the cost, it is $800,000. This includes a private jet from your home, office or wherever, worldwide, and back again at the end of the trip. In between, you have four nights at the Los Angeles property, four nights in Paris, and transport in between.
The Beverly Wilshire, originally called the Beverly Wilshire Apartment Hotel, opened its doors in 1928. The Hotel was built on the site of the Beverly Auto Speedway, extending from Pico to Wilshire and Beverly to Spaulding. The Speedway provided residents with an opportunity for picnics and Model T Ford races on Sunday afternoons. Out-of town travelers arrived by steam railway, making connections with electric trolleys – L.A.’s “Red Cars.” At the time, the population of Beverly Hills was less than 1,000 and it was still undiscovered by Hollywood’s in-crowd. Real estate developer Walter G. McCarty, foreseeing the glamorous future for the community, purchased the property and built the luxurious Beverly Wilshire.
The hotel grounds, originally occupying an entire city block, have been subdivided as the population of Beverly Hills has grown. The Beverly Hills scene was far different from the sophisticated scene embodied by the Beverly Wilshire and Rodeo Drive today. It has been an integral part of the Beverly Hills community and it has played a strong role in many sophisticated social gatherings and movie scenes over the past seven decades. Beverly Wilshire’s neighbors are some of the city’s most prestigious and influential businesses worldwide.
Beverly Wilshire is a salute to its construction and renovation teams over the years. It has withstood major earthquakes in 1933, 1971 and 1994 and was designated an air raid shelter during World War II. Originally designed by architects Walker & Eisen at a cost of $4 million, it was constructed with its distinctive E-shape in the Italian Renaissance style with French neoclassic influences. The finest construction materials were used, including Italian Carrara marble and a special Tuscan stone preferred by architects in Italy for centuries.
Arnold Kirkeby, owner of a chain of hotels, purchased the Beverly Wilshire in the early 1940’s. He added an Olympic-sized pool and championship tennis courts with tennis pro Pancho Gonzalez as the hotel’s tennis director. Kirkeby also added the Florentine Room where Kate Thompson and the Williams Brothers performed during the Big Band era. The 1950’s and early 1960’s were transitional years: Evelyn Sharp, owner of several New York hotels, bought the hotel in 1958 and sold it to William Zeckendorf in 1961 - he,, in turn, sold the Beverly Wilshire to Hernando Courtright and an investor group the same year. The Courtright years established the Hotel as a dynamic setting for Beverly Hills society, international royalty and the elite set from around the world.
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The Beverly Wing, with the grand ballroom fit to host the most regal galas, the Mediterranean style-pool designed for socializing and sunning, and a combination of luxurious rooms were added to the Hotel in 1971 at a cost of $20 million. The new wing was designed by Welton Becket and Associates and was decorated with theme floors by Marcelle Courtright, wife of Hernando. The ballroom remains striking in its elegance with white Carrara marble, mirrored arches and hand-wrought iron balconies. Hand-carved balustrades in Tinos Vert a Rouge Incarnat marble in the grand style of Versailles grace the entryway from the Winter Garden into the Ballroom. El Camino Real, a private cobblestone driveway created by Italian artisans, is lined with 38 gaslight lanterns imported from a castle in Edinburgh and covered by a domed porte-cochere that gracefully joins the two buildings near the entrance. After several changes of ownership and management company, the 395-room hotel is currently owned by B.W. Hotel L.L.C., a Hong-Kong-based investment syndicate of prominent Hong Kong companies with diversified global holdings, and it is managed by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
It constantly keeps up to date. In 1998 renovations, orchestrated by Hirsch Bedner & Associates, created two distinctive designs – the classic Wilshire Wing and the contemporary Beverly Wing. In 2005, the Regent Beverly Wilshire added The Blvd restaurant, bar and outdoor patio overlooking Rodeo Drive – the perfect “see and be seen” venue. In 2006 it unveiled Wolfgang Puck’s first contemporary steak restaurant, CUT, and adjoining lounge, designed by architect Richard Meier. And in June 2006 it opened its spectacular 8,000 square-foot, nine-treatment room spa. www.fourseasons.com
Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, Los Angeles, United States
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