Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire

100   Recommended
Deluxe FS Executive Suite
July 30, 2007 by EXPERT

 Map | 2 Reviews | 100% Recommended
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Beverly Wilshire - Beverly Hills, A Four Seasons Hotel
 Map | 2 Reviews | 100% Recommended

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Deluxe FS Executive Suite

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Deluxe FS Executive Suite

Ever since my sister and I saw Pretty Woman we have always wanted to stay at the Beverly Wilshire. An opportunity arose so we decided to stay here on our last night in LA.

I am a huge Four Seasons fan but I was most terribly disappointed with this hotel. I think it was the worst Four Seasons stay I have had to date.

We booked a Deluxe FS Executive Suite on a Virtuoso rate which included continental breakfast for 2, upgrade if available at check-in and a $100 spa credit. We were given a choice of either a 1 BR Wilshire suite which would have been a 1 category upgrade or a 1 BR Beverly suite which would have been a 2 category upgrade. My sister wanted to stay in the Wilshire wing so we opted for the Wilshire suite.

Check In

We arrived at the hotel early and without luggage. We had to wait considerably to check-in and finally when we were able to speak to an agent it appeared as they could not find our reservation. Typically, Four Seasons will have my booking pre-prepared and check-in formalities would be swift. Not this time. First they had troubles finding our reservation and then many details were incorrect.

We did not expect our room to be ready and indeed it wasn't. The suite was vacant but needed to be inspected by the Executive Housekeeper. We were promised a phone call once inspected and ready for our arrival. We never received the phone call.

We returned in the afternoon with our luggage and the room was STILL not ready as the Executive Housekeeper still had not inspected our room, over 4 hours later. After waiting 20 minutes we were given our keys and shown where the elevators were. No room escort was provided. We were not asked what newspaper we wished in the morning nor what time we wished a wake up call. Not a good start to a stay and we certainly were not made to feel welcome.

Room

We were allocated Room 716 which is a corner suite with direct views of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard. One of the best things about the hotel was that our suite was VERY comfortable. The living room, to the left as you enter the suite, had corner views of Rodeo and Wilshire and were double paned which virtually blocked all noise from the street. The living room had a comfortable sofa, 2 arm chairs, work desk, and a large 42" plasma screen. To the right of the entrance had first the bedroom and then the large bathroom.

The bedroom had oblique views of Wilshire and views of the rest of the Wilshire wing. It had a chaise longue as well as another 42" plasma screen, both by LG or Samsung.

The bathroom contained 2 closets as you entered from the hallway. Further in had the deep soaking tub, separate shower stall, double vanities with a small 16" Sharp LCD TV, and a separated (not a separate cubicle) WC.

Air-conditioning was intelligent showing temperatures in both Fahrenheit and Celcius with a flick of a switch.

The shower stall had very weak water pressure and virtually non-existant hot water which made for a surprisingly luke warm shower.

Dining

There were some highlights to this stay and one of them was the Room Service. We elected to eat our dinner via room service and were pleasantly surprised at the quality and taste of the food given how the rest of our stay had been progressing.

The Corn Chowder was excellent; however the French Onion soup lacked the depth of flavour in its broth. My sister had leftovers from lunch at the Bel-Air (will elaborate in a separate post) and Room Service kindly steam heated it and presented it on a plate for her. The Garden salad was perfect in its simplicity with a simple balsamic vinegar vinaigrette.

My burger was cooked to perfection with a large thick patty with wonderful cheddar cheese on top. The food was simple and well executed. It also arrived in 23 minutes, 2 minutes earlier than promised which was impressive.

In the morning we ordered our breakfast again through room service as we had to do some substantial re-packing of our luggage. Inclusive of our Virtuoso rate were 2 continental breakfasts which we upgraded to full american breakfasts. Most amazingly, room service had our breakfast delivered in 15 minutes and everything was cooked perfectly. The breakfast charge was a bit weird -- the American breakfasts are $5 more than the Continental breakfast but the total surcharge was only $6 for the both of us.

The only negative about room service is the $4.50 delivery fee which I dislike as I would imagine that delivery would be "included" in the 18% or so gratuity the hotel automatically charge.

Concierge

A few days before we left on our Asia trip I phoned the BW requesting for some restaurant reservations. I requested a booking at CUT, the Wolfgang Puck Steakhouse in the hotel itself. I was told that the BW Concierge cannot simply phone to make a reservation -- they have to "text message" CUT with a request and CUT would then respond. I was told that it was highly unlikely that I would get a table at CUT on a Friday night with only 3 weeks or so notice. I also wanted a reservation at Matsuhisa. I was assured that the hotel would contact me within 48hrs with the results from CUT and my confirmed reservation at Matsuhisa.

96 hours later I departed for Asia without hearing from the BW. Things only got better when I asked the Sales Manager, who e-mailed me my reservation confirmation, to have the Chef Concierge e-mail me to sort things out. Ann, the Chef Concierge e-mailed me promptly and got things fixed for me. Immediately, our CUT reservations came through along with Matsuhisa.

I found it a joy to work with Ann and one of her colleagues Mark. The other Concierges have a lot to be desired.

Ann also took the effort to speak with the doormen so that while we were in LA that we were able to use the house car to take us around even though we had yet to check-in to the BW. Ann certainly was a highlight of our stay and without her our stay at the BW would have been a complete and utter disaster. We are very grateful for Ann's professionalism and her kind assistance during our stay.

Spa

In our Virtuoso rate was included a $100 credit for use at the Spa. Ann made the reservation for me with one of the hotel's top therapists for a 1 hour Aromatherapy massage.

The Spa is in the Beverly wing on the same level as the pool deck. The Spa is very nicely done and is very calming. The changerooms are first rate and feature a lovely steam room and feature shower (never got to see exactly what the feature was as it was always in use --sounded like pulsating jets of water). The treatment was excellent.

The BW has made a deal with a foremost skin care expert who now does the facials and other skin treatments at the hotel and is highly recommended. My sister wanted to go for a facial but due to the popularity of this new expert could not get a spot.

The overall service in the Spa was very good and I truly enjoyed the experience.

Overall

The stay was not a complete disaster. However, the hotel has a LOT to work on. As much as I am a fan of Four Seasons I am so disappointed to say that this hotel does not meet FS service standards at all. The rooms, however, are gorgeous and the location excellent. As old and dated the decor is at the FS Vancouver, I much prefer it to the BW mainly because the service is just simply light years better.

The Peninsula, in many ways, is a better hotel and also a better value but they too need to get their act together which is what makes it even more of a disappointment. It is nearly two weeks since check-out and I have not heard anything from the Peninsula.

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