6 Great Luxury Hotels in Los Angeles County

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

In a city known for glamour, Waldorf Astoria managed to up the ante when it opened in 2017. Lalique crystal, Italian marble, hand-blown Murano glass, and custom-made art deco–inspired furniture fill the interiors, decorated by French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. All 170 rooms and suites have floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies (the 3,215-square-foot Presidential Suite comes with its own spa and home theater). On the rooftop, a saltwater pool has unparalleled views of Beverly Hills and is busy both day and night, when warm mimosa eggs served with caviar emerge from the kitchen and ginger margaritas flow. Acclaimed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten opened his first Los Angeles restaurant at the hotel and handles all the room service, too. If you want to power lunch with the best of them, order his ahi tuna tartare and avocado carpaccio pizza. Pro tips: Hotel amenities encourage guests to go all in on the Beverly Hills lifestyle. Guests booking a Signature Suite get an option to reserve an Aston Martin to cruise around town. This is also home to the only La Prairie Spa in Southern California—the Rejuvenating Platinum Facial is a local favorite.

Montage Beverly Hills

Modern yet classic, upscale yet relaxed, the Montage Beverly Hills channels the best of modern and classic California. Take Georgie Restaurant, where chef Geoffrey Zakarian made his Los Angeles debut: at breakfast, guests can enjoy avocado toast and detox juices; at night, diners enjoy libations served in Prohibition-era glasses from the tableside martini cart. Housed in a Spanish revival–style building in the heart of Beverly Hills, the 201 guest rooms and 55 suites are decorated in 1920s- and 1930s-inspired furnishings for a breezily sophisticated, vintage Hollywood vibe (the Montage Suite even has its own baby grand piano). Spend the day by the roof’s saline swimming pool, where private cabanas are available, or sip champagne by the mineral wellness pool of the Spa Montage. The Moroccan-inspired two-level spa offers a comprehensive range of treatments, including Beverly Hills’ most expensive facial, the $1,400 Royal C, using an infusion of L.RAPHAEL vitamin C. Pro tip: Ask Cash Black, head barman of the jewel-box bar £10—accessible through a back-entrance staircase—for a taste of “elegance,” and he’ll pour the 25-year-old Sherry Oak Macallan.

Mr. C Beverly Hills

Think of the Mr. C Beverly Hills as a trip to Italy without the jet lag. Opened in 2011, the 138-room property was the first hotel by the Cipriani family of Italian restaurateurs. Through and through, it’s true to its Old World heritage, from the Original Bellinis (first invented at the family’s Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy) imbibed under handmade Venetian chandeliers to the primo Colnago bicycles (also Italian) available to borrow. The spa uses exclusive Italian skincare line Illumia, and the yacht-inspired pool deck evokes a day along the Riviera. Black-and-white images by famed photojournalist Giuseppe Palmas hang throughout the property. Naturally, the food at the Restaurant at Mr. C  plays off the theme, too; give yourself a vacation pass and indulge in the Venetian frittata and berry stuffed French toast at breakfast and the classic beef carpaccio alla Cipriani (featuring “Universal Sauce” invented by Giuseppe Cipriani in the 1940s) or baked taglioni at dinner. Request the intimate green corner booth for optimal people-watching. Pro tip: Before you head back to your room at the end of the day, dial up the Bath Concierge, who will have a custom-drawn bath waiting.

The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills

As the name suggests, this hotel’s personality is one part laid-back Californian, one part British aristocrat. Nowhere is that clearer than at the 10th-floor rooftop pool, where plantings inspired by formal English gardens stand out against a backdrop of palm trees and sunny views of the Hollywood Hills. Downstairs, the London Bar channels both influences, too, with an orangeries-style latticework frieze inspired by English conservatories along with a living wall of exotic plants and a menu that ranges from classic (Moscow Mules, Pimm’s Cups) to creative (the Winston Churchill made with Bulldog gin and Laphroig scotch is a favorite). Fresh off an $11 million redesign by celebrated Irish architect David Collins this year, the 226 suites are appointed in tailored furnishings and have oversized Waterworks spa baths. A penthouse designed by fashion legend Vivienne Westwood occupies the top floor—at 11,000 square feet, it’s one of Los Angeles’ largest suites—along with several apartment-like one-bedroom suites, which are spacious enough for long stays. Pro tip: Give the restaurant staff a heads-up in advance if you’d like the secret off-menu beef Wellington with Yorkshire pudding.

The NoMad Hotel Los Angeles

Perhaps no hotel debut was as anticipated in 2018 as the NoMad, the West Coast outpost of the celebrated Manhattan property. The downtown Los Angeles spot adapts the hotel’s winning formula—a vibrant social scene, with a helping of high style—for the West Coast. The hotel is housed in a historic building, the former Bank of Italy, which influenced French designer Jacques Garcia’s design: the 241 rooms and suites subtly reference neoclassical style and play off the palette of the lobby’s gold-and-blue coffered Italianate ceiling. Couples looking for a romantic retreat should opt for the Atelier room with a freestanding pedestal tub at its center. But staying here is as much about what’s happening outside your room. A pair of French art collectors imagined THE LAB, a wholly original concept store and exhibition space with exclusive works by carefully curated artists. Only hotel guests gain access to the rooftop pool, where bites and bubbly (one-quarter of the extensive wine list at the NoMad is champagne) are also served. At dinnertime, locals fill the mezzanine and lobby restaurants for local seafood and roast chicken for two, stuffed with brioche and paired with a Belgian brown ale. Save space for a show and dessert: Baked Alaska, flambéed tableside.

InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown

Superlatives abound at the InterContinental in downtown L.A. The 73-story structure is the tallest building west of Chicago and, at 889 rooms, the largest InterContinental in the Americas. (It set a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous concrete pour during its foundation construction.) Opened in 2017, the hotel was also downtown’s first LEED Gold Certified building for Building Design and Construction. All that record setting is matched by a big personality and plenty of luxury, too. Inspired by architectural historian Reyner Banham’s book Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies, the hotel features light fixtures based on schematic maps of L.A.’s freeways, hand-painted murals, and billboard-style headboards with city scenes. Club Level suites are stocked with Le Labo Santal 33 amenities, customized with guests’ names. And on the 71st floor, bathrooms are cheekily decorated in Marie Antoinette and cowboy themes. The Versailles-inspired restaurant La Boucherie is an American steakhouse with a French twist. In the restaurant’s VIP Starlight Booths, diners enjoy wine-paired chef’s tasting menus along with jaw-dropping views. Another restaurant, Sora, is the place for intimate Japanese omakase. Be sure to order the 1100 Feet—an original blend of liqueurs reflective of L.A.’s melting pot of cultures—at Spire 73, the Western Hemisphere’s highest open-air bar. Pro tip: Book the Presidential Suite, and you’ll be rewarded with another kind of epic view—an infinity bathtub that fills from the ceiling.

In Partnership with Afar.