The Beverly Hills Hotel - Dorchester Collection

The Pink Palace Hasn't Changed a Single Leaf

Built in 1912 in Mission Revival style by architect Margaret Anderson, the Beverly Hills Hotel earned its "Pink Palace" nickname honestly, long before pink stucco became a design cliche elsewhere in the city. Inside, five and a half miles of the hotel's signature banana-leaf wallpaper — a pattern so recognizable it's sold commercially under the hotel's name — line hallways that have hosted Hollywood since the silent-film era. Nothing here has been rebuilt to look historic. It simply never stopped being the original.

Why It Works

We chose the Beverly Hills Hotel because very few properties anywhere can back up their reputation with the actual, unbroken thing. The Polo Lounge has poured drinks since 1941, under a name borrowed from the celebrity polo players who used to celebrate there, and it still runs on that same after-dark energy today. Add 23 individual bungalows, several with their own genuine Hollywood history, to 210 rooms and suites, and the hotel offers a rare split: a grand hotel experience and a private-hideaway one, both under the same pink roof.

Why This Location

The address is 9641 Sunset Boulevard, at the head of the palm-lined drive that gave the hotel its cinematic entrance shot for a century of films. Rodeo Drive's shopping and Beverly Hills' restaurant row sit a short drive away, while the hotel's own grounds — gardens, pool, tennis — give guests every reason to stay put between excursions. It's a location built for exactly one kind of trip: the one where the hotel itself is the destination, not just the base.

Fast Facts

• Price: Luxury

• Vibe: old Hollywood, pink stucco, unapologetically grand

• Rooms: 210 rooms and suites, plus 23 private bungalows

• Best For: classic-Hollywood devotees, couples marking an occasion, anyone who wants the real Polo Lounge

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the banana-leaf wallpaper, unchanged since 1949 and iconic enough to be sold as its own product

• Dining: the Polo Lounge for drinks and see-and-be-seen dining, poolside service, in-bungalow dining

• Amenities: heated pool, spa and wellness centre, fitness centre, tennis, concierge, valet parking, pet-friendly rooms

• Attractions: Rodeo Drive shopping and Beverly Hills restaurant row (short drive), the Sunset Strip (nearby)

Bungalows With Their Own Legends

The 23 bungalows are less an amenity than a parallel hotel, each with its own entrance and its own history: Marilyn Monroe kept Bungalow 1, and Howard Hughes lived out of Bungalow 3 for roughly three decades, receiving visitors and running his affairs from behind its door. Staying in one today means a level of privacy the main building can't match — a private garden path in instead of a hallway, and a history that no new-build luxury hotel can replicate no matter the budget.

The Polo Lounge, Unchanged Since 1941

What began as El Jardin Restaurant became the Polo Lounge in 1941 under Hernando Courtright, renamed for the celebrity polo players who used it as their clubhouse after matches. Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack made it a regular stop, and the room still carries that after-dark, see-and-be-seen energy today. It remains the best reason to linger at the hotel even for guests staying elsewhere in Beverly Hills.

Before You Book

This is a full-service resort rather than an intimate boutique, so guests wanting anonymity should look elsewhere — the lobby and pool deck are part of the show. Families are welcome and the hotel accommodates them well, but couples chasing a quieter, adults-only stay may prefer a smaller Beverly Hills property. A cabana by the pool runs at a premium and is worth booking ahead if that's the day you have in mind.