The rooftop pool at the Maybourne Beverly Hills is sleek and Instagram-ready.THE MAYBOURNE BEVERLY HILLS
To my well-trained movie-critic eye, there were no celebrities sipping cocktails inside the lobby bar of the Maybourne Beverly Hills hotel during my visit – though there may well have been. Were those men whispering in the corner – one of whom was sporting cream-coloured pants cut off at the ankles, the other draped inside a technicolor dreamcoat fit for Joseph himself – in fact emerging actors? What about the impossibly sexy thirtysomething couple lingering over Suntory highballs at the marble bar – the man’s shoes were expensive enough to suggest he’s a majordomo from one of the many talent agencies nearby, while her hair was so perfectly coiffed that if she wasn’t already in pictures, she should be.
Such is the vibe in the public, semi-secret and ultra-private spaces of the Maybourne, the first U.S. outpost of the prestigious Maybourne Hotel Group, known for its high-end destinations along the French Riviera and in London (including the storied Claridge’s). Situated in the heart of Beverly Hills’ “Golden Triangle” – Rodeo Drive is so close that you couldn’t walk five steps without encountering a Prada-clad pooch – the five-star hotel whisper-screams the highest-end of Hollywood hospitality.
It is the kind of pleasure palace where anyone who can afford to stay can pretend to be a celebrity deserving white-glove treatment.
Why you should visit
With eight floors holding 203 rooms (including 57 suites), the Maybourne is an expansive-yet-compact oasis just the right size to blend in, and not dominate, the Beverly Hills scene. The property might be easy to overlook, given that the hotel – acquired by its new owners and floor-by-floor revamped in 2020 – is nestled discreetly between luxury retailers and super-high-end restaurants. This is exactly the point: It is a not-so-secret space for those already in-the-know.
The Spanish Colonial Revival decor at the hotel is reminiscent of the Hollywood Golden Age, while also evoking the ultra-contemporary edge of the hippest West Coast haunt.THE MAYBOURNE BEVERLY HILLS
The hotel’s look bridges two eras: the Spanish Colonial Revival decor is both reminiscent of the Hollywood Golden Age of the 1920s and ‘30s while at the same time evoking the ultra-contemporary edge of the hippest West Coast haunt. The foyer is as beautiful as it is breezy, with the warm and gracious attitude amongst the front-facing staff suggesting that they treat each guest as if they were Tom Cruise or Taylor Swift.
The fantasy-made-real sensation extends and expands depending on which corner of the Maybourne you explore next. The open-air ground-floor Terrace restaurant faces an oversized fountain in the adjacent Beverly Canon Gardens, which evokes a European square.
The cigar and whiskey bar, meanwhile, offers the clandestine atmosphere of an underground Manhattan club with its fine wood panelling and prankish high-end art (a Banksy is placed nonchalantly on a wall).
For more literal views of the high-life, take the elevator up to the Maybourne’s ninth floor for a dip in the sleek and Instagram-ready rooftop pool. The panoramic views of the Hollywood Hills are one thing, but you’ll have to play it even cooler when the always-smiling staff come by with samples of fresh fruit juice the bartender is simply desperate for you to try.
The Maybourne's cigar and whiskey bar has the atmosphere of an underground Manhattan club with its fine wood panelling and prankish high-end art.THE MAYBOURNE BEVERLY HILLS
Also begging to be sampled: the food at Dante Beverly Hills, the rooftop restaurant located right across from the pool. The newly opened space, the first West Coast outpost of the famed New York Italian spot, offers a menu as classically adventurous (conchigliette with a slow-cooked pork and fennel sausage ragu, burrata with semi-dried tomatoes that are guaranteed to re-contextualize your concept of what tomatoes can do) as its view of the city is generous.
Guestrooms are designed with a warm and soft Californian palette by Bryan O’Sullivan, the interiors are bright and sunny, each room begging for a “Do Not Disturb: Celebrity at Rest” notice to be placed on the door handle. With bespoke furniture, custom vases by Belgian glassware house Henry Dean, and hefty art-books placed delicately on the shelves and coffee tables – there’s no better when-in-Rome/Hollywood breakfast than lounging on the spacious balcony flipping through an out-of-print copy of Assouline’s Guy Bourdin: Image Maker. It will be hard to tear yourself away from the room to engage with the outside world. Which is exactly how Brad Pitt must feel every day. Who needs, say, the hotel’s 20,000-square-foot spa when your bed feels fit for the king of show-biz?
The guest rooms are bright and sunny and designed with a warm and soft Californian palette.THE MAYBOURNE BEVERLY HILLS
Room for improvement
Like the seemingly perfect skin of any movie star, there’s always a blemish or two. In the Maybourne’s case, it’s a tiny collection of super-small details. Like, say, the room service breakfast including a potato pancake that’s just a little too greasy. Or the sound of the neighbouring room’s doorbell being a smidge too noticeable. Maybe the in-room TV failing to include premium channels (wouldn’t the stars of HBO’s The White Lotus prefer to be able to actually watch The White Lotus?) But these are the criticisms of the most insecure and over-pampered star. Get back to acting impressed already, which will require no acting at all.
Since you’re in the neighbourhood
Even though L.A. has a reputation as a city built for cars – or, in the case of the average Maybourne guest, chauffeur-driven Lucid Airs – the hotel boasts the perfect location to explore by, gasp, foot. Rodeo Drive is one block away, while iconic restaurants Spago and Avra are even closer. Alternate between gawking at the rich and beautiful people waltzing in and out of Louis Vuitton and pretending to be one of them. Dress to impress, and you’ll be surprised just how close you can feel to stardom. In case you were wondering, yes, the Maybourne boasts the most famous postal code in all of America: 90210.
The take away
What is the purpose of travelling if not to engage in a form of acting? Being in a new city where no one knows who you are – or who you’re pretending to be – is the ultimate form of escapism. Which makes a stay at the Maybourne, whether you’re visiting for show business or show pleasure, the perfect kind of sun-drenched fantasia. You’ll come home feeling like the star you always knew you were.
The Maybourne Beverly Hills, 225 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, Calif., maybournebeverlyhills.com
The writer was a guest of the hotel. It did not review or approve the story before publication.