[5 posts tagged “Hotels.”]

Guilty pleasure: A very NYC moment at Hollywood resto Delphine

The first of a couple articles I wrote while in L.A. this spring published this week—a review of the new W Hollywood hotel, which I felt pretty lukewarm about. There were absolutely highlights—Groove Armada played in the courtyard there and I had the best view ever: from the comfy windowseat of my third-floor room. Also—the New Yorky brasserie Delphine made me feel right at home despite being 3,000 miles from Keith McNally. Read the article here.

Entrance to the ultraglam Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Some people meditate. Some daydream about beautiful places. Try both at once with this handy visual aid.

A sunny Saturday at the Desert Star hotel, Palm Springs

My dear friend and I celebrated milestone birthday this winter with a fun long weekend in Palm Springs. But why Palm Springs? Let me count the ways....
1. Sun, sun and more sun—354 days of sunshine each year.
2. The airport is 2-3 miles from hotels, which means I didn't have to give up my chauffeur taxi habit.
3. Elizabeth Taylor, Liberace, Eisenhower, Suzanne Somers, Trina Turk. All fabulous people go here.
4. Modernism galore: Neutra, Cody, Frey Lautner. Plus all that vintage shopping.
5. The hotels! Oh, the hotels! The Parker, The Ace, and our casa, The Desert Star.

Not a single guest at Desert Star didn't daydream about installing a deadbolt in their bungalow and moving in for good. The rooms were outfitted with Case Study-style furniture and iPod docks and fuzzy robes and cutting boards and decent knives and blenders (blenders!). All of which meant it wasn't at all challenging to slip into a bikini, pour a cocktail (with garnish!) and don the fuzzy robe to the pool (see pic).

We were told of the wonders of the San Jacinto trails and glory of Joshua Tree and about that "great vintage shop down the road where everything's just your size," but we are cold-climate dwellers and so we did this. Every day. For hours. Until the sun dipped past the mountains and were forced to find solid food (Cheeky's, El Mirasol highly recommended). I'll return to Palm Springs and I'll hit that vintage shop and I'll see those mountains, but probably only if it's raining.

These hard-drinking newsies are here to tell you to read my articles

My byline cropped up a few times this week, first in Manhattan magazine, where I profiled a couple ace interior designers, and then in the The Globe & Mail (the New York Times of Canada, as we can it in the biz), where I reviewed the hotel SLS in L.A., which I wrote about last month. Take a looksy! And, as always you can see more of my work by clicking Articles at the top of the page.

Rooftop cabanas, SLS Hotel, Los Angeles

Simply Lovely Spaces. Sam loves Starck. Some Light Showers. For me, a late-January weekend at SLS Hotel in Los Angeles meant a seriously sexy sleepover. And Sophie Loves Sleepovers.
Service Luxury Style was the thought of nightclub kingpin-turned-hotelier Sam Nazarian, but the copywriters took it and ran... Now, the aphorisms decorate key cards, note paper, and all sorts of silly little somethings at this Philippe Starck-designed property, the first of a portfolio. Some little secrets ahead...

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