Want to take advantage of Hilton for Luxury benefits at no extra cost (when paying for your stay with cash), including a room upgrade, free breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He doesn’t charge booking fees, and may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
To kick off our eight nights in California we spent two nights at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. This is generally regarded as one of the top hotels in the area, and it’s most definitely the most luxurious points hotel in the Los Angeles area.
Booking The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
A standard room at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills retails for 95,000 Hilton Honors points per night, which is a good deal when you consider that paid rates here are typically $700+ per night including tax.
In the case of our stay we didn’t even use points, but rather we used some reward certificates. Ford and I both have the Hilton Aspire Card, and had expiring Hilton weekend free night certificates. I redeemed one for the first night and Ford redeemed one for the second night.
See this post for the best credit cards for earning Hilton Honors points, and see this post for the best hotel credit cards for earning free nights.
If you are paying cash for a stay at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, I’d recommend booking through the Hilton for Luxury program. You’d pay the same “standard” rate, and would receive a room upgrade subject to availability, complimentary breakfast, a $100 property credit once during the stay, and more. Ford and his team are happy to help with these requests, and can be reached at [email protected].
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Review
I’ll break the review of the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills into several parts, and will cover our arrival & check-in experience, our room, the lobby, the pool, the gym, the awesome dining venues, the service, and more.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Arrival & Check-In
We took an Uber from LAX to the Waldorf Astoria (we took an UberBlack so we could be picked up curbside, rather than having to deal with the disastrous LAXit situation). The drive from the airport at around noon on Saturday took just over 30 minutes.
Speaking of the Waldorf Astoria & Uber, this is very important. If you are picked up at the hotel, don’t tag your location as being at the Waldorf in the Uber app. For whatever (very stupid) reason, it will automatically reset your location to the Beverly Hilton. Instead tag your location as the Jean-Georges Restaurant, which will have you picked up at the right place.
Anyway, the Waldorf Astoria is located at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard. It’s just a few blocks from Rodeo Drive and all the famous Beverly Hills shopping, and is also just a short drive from the Sunset Strip. So personally I think it’s an unbeatable location for a weekend getaway to LA.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills exterior
The Waldorf Astoria has a cool circular driveway, and upon arrival we were greeted by a bellman and escorted to check-in.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills exterior
We were checked in by Roy, who was incredibly professional. Sometimes front desk agents don’t share enough info, while other times they share way too much info. This was the perfect check-in experience:
- One night the reservation was in my name and the other night it was in Ford’s name, but he managed to combine them so we wouldn’t have to change keys after the second night
- He confirmed Diamond elite perks, including that Diamond members receive a $50 credit per day that they can use towards just about anything, including breakfast (this is in place of a “formal” breakfast credit)
- He explained the basics of the hotel, including the car service, hours for the pool and restaurants, etc.
- He escorted us to our room, but didn’t overshare the features
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Room
We were assigned room 1015, located on the 10th floor (the hotel has 12 floors, plus the rooftop). Upon exiting the elevator we turned right, and then our room was immediately there to the left.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills hallway
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills room exterior
As you can see based on the hotel’s floorplan, the hotel has an unusual shape, and as a result there are rooms of different sizes. We definitely got one of the smaller rooms, though it had a fantastic view.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills floorplan
I believe we got a deluxe king room with terrace and view (which is an upgrade due to the floor and view), though I’m not 100% sure.
While the room wasn’t huge, we loved it. The room featured a large entryway with the bathroom to the left.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills room entryway
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills room entryway
Further into the room was the bedroom area. To the right was a plush king size bed and a chaise.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills king room
Across from that was a table with two chairs, which could double as either a dining table or a desk. Then there was a wall-mounted TV.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills king room
The table had both an Alexa, as well as an iPad through which you could order room service, and make just about any other request. It completely replaced any brochure.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills king room
I have exactly one criticism of the room, and that’s the location of the outlets. This is still a fairly new hotel (it opened in 2017), yet somehow there aren’t convenient outlets next to the bed or the desk. You literally have to move furniture to plug something in next to your bed, which is ridiculous.
(Update: some readers pointed out that apparently there are outlets in the bedside drawers, so that’s good to know. Too bad I never figured that out.)
Back towards the entrance was the minibar, a Nespresso machine, and some bottled water.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills minibar
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Nespresso machine
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills minibar
The bathroom was also back towards the entrance, and was quite large. It featured double sinks, a partitioned off toilet, a bathtub, and a walk-in shower.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills bathroom
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills bathtub
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills toilet
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills shower
Toiletries were the “Tuscan Soul” scent from Salvatore Ferragamo.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills toiletries
Across from the bathroom was a good size closet.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills room closet
Probably the highlight of the room was the large balcony with views of Beverly Hills (the actual hills, not the flats). There were two chairs on the balcony, including one with an ottoman.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills balcony
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills balcony
The views from the balcony were mesmerizing. I’d note that it was quite loud out there given how close you are to a major intersection, though the sound insulation is excellent, as we couldn’t hear a thing when the door was closed.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills room view
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills room view
About an hour after arriving we were brought a (sweet) welcome gift.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills welcome amenity
Wifi in the room (and throughout the hotel) was fast and free.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Lobby
The Waldorf Astoria has a beautiful lobby that gets really busy during the day, as this hotel isn’t just popular with guests, but also with locals going to the rooftop, etc.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills lobby
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills lobby
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills lobby
In the very back of the lobby is the Lobby Lounge, open daily from 12PM until 8PM. They serve light snacks and drinks.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills lobby bar
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills lobby bar
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills lobby bar
The hotel also has some shopping in the lobby.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills lobby
It’s also worth noting that the hotel has complimentary coffee and tea in the lobby in the mornings, which makes me a very happy camper.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills lobby coffee
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Pool
One of the things that really sets the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills apart is the huge rooftop.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills rooftop
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills rooftop
The pool is open daily from 8AM until 6PM, and is a good size, and there’s also a hot tub next to it. There are dozens of seats around the pool, along with some cabanas.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills rooftop pool
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills rooftop pool
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills rooftop hot tub
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills rooftop
The views from the rooftop are as good, if not better, than from the rest of the hotel.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills rooftop view
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Rooftop Bar
The most popular venue at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills for outside guests is probably The Rooftop By JG (“JG” stands for Jean-Georges, as there’s a Jean-Georges restaurant off the lobby).
The rooftop has to be one of the most picturesque venues in the area, and it was packed every time I walked by (which is why I took the below pictures just shortly before they opened). The rooftop is open from 11:30AM until 11:30PM on weekdays, and longer on weekends. There’s a cozy fireplace, and there are couches, proper tables, and a bar.
The Rooftop by JG Waldorf Astoria
The Rooftop by JG Waldorf Astoria
The Rooftop by JG Waldorf Astoria
The Rooftop by JG Waldorf Astoria
The menu read as follows:
We stopped here for drinks one evening, which were excellent. Check out that ice cube!
The Rooftop by JG Waldorf Astoria drinks
Jean-Georges Restaurant Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
Jean-Georges is the signature restaurant at the Waldorf Astoria, and it’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The restaurant itself is beautiful, and has a bar and lounge area inside and to the left.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Jean-Georges Restaurant
Then the main indoor dining area is to the right.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Jean-Georges Restaurant
Then there’s also a beautiful outdoor terrace.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Jean-Georges Restaurant
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Jean-Georges Restaurant
We had breakfast in the restaurant one morning (which is served from 7AM until 11AM), partly using our $50 daily credit. The breakfast menu read as follows:
I had a coffee to drink…
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills breakfast
Then to eat I had the avocado toast and house made granola, while Ford had poached eggs.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills breakfast
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills breakfast
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills breakfast
The breakfast was excellent. The other morning we had room service breakfast, which was also very good (usually I wouldn’t order room service breakfast in LA since there are lots of great places to eat, but to be perfectly honest we were a wee bit hungover, and that just seemed like the best option).
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills room service breakfast
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Gym & Spa
The Waldorf Astoria has a 24/7 gym, located on the second floor. Note that only one set of elevators leads to this part of the second floor, and in our case it was the elevator further from our room. The gym was a good size, and had excellent equipment.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills gym
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills gym
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills gym
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills gym
The La Prairie Spa was next to the gym. We didn’t end up getting any treatments here. You can find the spa menu here.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills La Prairie Spa
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills House Car
The Waldorf Astoria has two house cars. They have an Escalade and a Rolls Royce Phantom. They’re available on a first come first served basis, and can take you within a three mile radius.
We used it a couple of times, and that sure is a nice feature, since it can take you to many areas of Beverly Hills and the Sunset Strip.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Service
I honestly can’t say enough good things about the service at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. It’s rare that I have strong feelings about service in a city hotel (especially in the US), but the service here was simply impeccable.
Where do we even begin? For one, I can truly say that just about every staff member genuinely wanted to make everyone’s stay perfect. For example, I was in the elevator trying to find the gym, and a hotel employee who I think was a maintenance worker got in. I asked him where the gym was, and he literally escorted me there, even though it required changing elevators.
Once a housekeeper was vacuuming on the floor we were staying on, and as soon as she saw me walking down the hallway she turned it off and waited until I entered my room.
The hotel was actually responsive with their chat service (see, W Aspen, it’s possible?). I was so impressed that they not only responded within minutes, but when it wasn’t available proactively suggested that they could pick me up on the return.
Service was equally good at breakfast and on the rooftop, and the concierge was also incredibly responsive.
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills Bottom Line
I was delighted by the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. This has to be one of my new favorite city hotels in the US — the hotel itself is beautiful, they have a jaw-dropping rooftop (both the pool and the rooftop bar), the service is impeccable, and they even have a Rolls Royce Phantom house car.
I’d stay here again in a heartbeat, and can’t recommend a stay here enough, whether paying cash, redeeming Honors points, or using a free night certificate from Hilton.
If you’ve stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, what was your experience like?
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