The Beverly Hills Hotel opened in 1912 on Sunset Boulevard, in what was then open country between Los Angeles and the sea. The city of Beverly Hills grew around it in the years that followed. Painted in its signature pink and green, it is the most famous luxury hotel in Beverly Hills and a symbol of Hollywood.
History
From the 1920s, film stars, producers and studio heads made the hotel their second home, and some lived in its bungalows for years. The Polo Lounge became a place where deals were made over lunch. The hotel belongs to Dorchester Collection.
Architecture and design
The architect Elmer Grey designed the building in the Mission Revival style. In 1949 the designer Paul R. Williams remodelled the hotel and added its script logo, and the banana-leaf wallpaper of the corridors became one of the most recognisable patterns in hotel design. The bungalows are set in twelve acres of tropical gardens.
Dining
The Polo Lounge, the Fountain Coffee Room with its pink counter, and the restaurant by the pool are part of the hotel’s history.
Weddings and events
The hotel’s Crystal Ballroom, gardens and salons host weddings, galas and receptions in Beverly Hills.
At a glance
What sets it apart
- 01Opened in 1912, before the city of Beverly Hills existed
- 02The Pink Palace on Sunset Boulevard
- 03Bungalows in twelve acres of gardens
- 04The Polo Lounge and its banana-leaf wallpaper
Chronology
Dates that matter
1912
Margaret Anderson opens the hotel on Sunset Boulevard in May.
1914
The city of Beverly Hills is incorporated around the hotel.
1941
The hotel's bar is renamed the Polo Lounge after the polo players who gathered there.
1943
A group led by Hernando Courtright buys the hotel after the Depression years.
1949
Paul R. Williams remodels the hotel and adds the Crescent wing and the script logo.
1987
The Sultan of Brunei buys the hotel.
1995
The hotel reopens after a two-and-a-half-year closure for renovation.
2012
The hotel is named Beverly Hills Historic Landmark No. 1 for its centenary.
