Is the Beverly Wilshire, the Four Seasons property and home of the iconic movie Pretty Woman, worth a stay in 2022? Read on for our extensive review of the Beverly Wilshire.
The Room at the Beverly Wilshire
We stayed in a one bedroom Beverly Suite with a large balcony. The only category higher than this for a one bedroom is a corner suite, which is larger, but the room size was fine for our family of four. There is also a two bedroom suite option for those needing more room.
The decor was classic luxury in light blues, silvers, and whites. It felt crisp and airy well done. The bathroom is white marble – again, classic and luxurious.
The closet is large (it’s a walk in) but it is so dim that we usually needed the flashlight on our phones in order to find our stuff – not kidding! And there are no shelves/drawers except for one high up that I at 5 feet 5 inches had to be on tip toes to reach. It is so large that it would be easy to add a chest of drawers – can’t figure out why they haven’t done this yet.
The only real issue with the room is the noise – we were on the 8th floor (room 865) and our room backed up to the elevator, which was constantly going by and making so much noise. The cables clanged against each other so much that I thought the windows were rattling.
I am a light sleeper and I lay there in dread that it was going to keep me up all night, but thankfully none of us had problems sleeping through it.
The sofa extends into a queen bed, which was perfect for one of my kids. My other slept on the chaise in the bedroom, which was big enough for a small 8 year old who wiggles around a lot. We had less privacy in the bedroom but the kids didn’t keep each other awake, which was the main goal.
The Food at the Beverly Wilshire
The highlight of our stay was the Chef T. Nicolas Peter pop up restaurant at the pool. It features a $120 5 course tasting menu with enough food that I was forcing myself to eat the dessert…it’s hearty portion sizes and you will not leave hungry. They were excellent with our kids, since the food is not exactly designed with kids in mind. They made up dishes that our kids and the family we were traveling with ate happily. There is also an a la carte option.
The staff there genuinely wants to help and was so accommodating to our allergies, kids running around, etc.
We also ordered room service one evening and the food was good and came quickly, which is a huge plus. Gratuity was included, so look carefully at your bill. I didn’t realize this and almost tipped twice.
The Service at the Beverly Wilshire
Here’s where the stay starts to fall apart. We had so many little misses with service that it added up to a big problem.
The website says that they have a welcome amenity for kids – kid-sized robes and a few little things. Despite having the kids on our reservation and them being present at check in, we received nothing. Not a huge deal, I guess, but they had set my expectations and not delivered.
When we got to the room, we found balloons, champagne, a cake, and a card. My kids were thrilled, until we realized the card was addressed to someone else. We called down to the front desk to make sure we were in the right room and to let them know. Yes, we were in the right room, and they would come get the card but we were told we should enjoy the “amenities.”
When someone came for the card, he insisted on taking everything. We didn’t fight him, but we did call down to let them know that something had gotten lost in translation. They apologized and offered to send something for the kids. Later we got 2 boxes of macarons, which is in fact not a bottle of champagne and a cake.
Also one of my kids has a nut allergy, so while I suppose the thought is nice, it would be so lovely if a hotel of this calibre went the extra mile and offered something free of the 8 major allergens so more guests can enjoy.
In contrast, the service of the pool staff was fabulous. They were friendly, attentive, and helpful. There were times when we wanted to order a bottle of wine offered elsewhere in the hotel but not on the pool menu which caused far more confusion and delay than we expected, but they were eventually able to make it happen. We never felt that they were trying to be unhelpful, but rather that they didn’t always know how to execute on some of our out-of-the-norm requests.
The Concierge at the Beverly Wilshire
We couldn’t get an item we needed for our trip in time, so I ordered it to be delivered to the hotel the day we arrived. We got the delivery notification and went down to the front desk several hours later to pick it up, as we needed it first thing the next morning. The staff looked several times and kept suggesting to my husband that it had been delivered to our room, which we knew it hadn’t been.
After over 30 minutes of looking and gaslighting, they were finally able to locate the box. I had made sure to address it to my husband, whose name our room was reserved under, to try to avoid just this confusion. It wouldn’t have been an issue except it was late at night and we were tired. A bit more organization would go a long way, since we are unlikely to be the only guests who do this from time to time.
Housekeeping at the Beverly Wilshire
The issue that sent me over the top was that I called around 5:45 pm one evening asking that the sofa bed be made up prior to 7 pm. I then left for dinner at the poolside pop up. My husband went up to the room after 7 pm and the bed wasn’t made, so he called again and came back to dinner. When we got back to the room, the bed had been made up, but $100 of pastries that had been in a bag near the mini fridge was gone.
We assume they threw them away (or maybe the staff was hungry?), though the pastry bag had been there when the room was made up earlier in the day and they had not been touched. What would have been helpful was if they had cleared away the empty coffee cups and the used water glass on the nightstand, but instead they threw away a heavy bag that clearly contained boxes of pastries and was labeled from a bakery just a block away.
Another day, we had laundry in the provided bag, with the completed ticket on top, in a prominent place. They did not take the laundry when making up the room, and we had to call later that day after we arrived back in order to get it picked up.
How They Made it Right
After talking with front-line staff multiple times about the issues we faced, we connected with a manager, Jennifer, on our last full day at the hotel. She listened, took our concerns seriously, and addressed the problems to our satisfaction. We had been considering moving hotels, but Jennifer’s response gave us confidence that we wouldn’t have any more issues for the remainder of our stay, and we appreciated the gestures from the pastry staff to make a special dessert that was safe for my son’s allergies.
The Verdict: Should You Stay at the Beverly Wilshire in 2022?
Would I stay here again or recommend it to you? At this point, I would.
It is so close to the hotel experience that I would expect from the Four Seasons that I believe they are probably working through the same staffing and training issues that we are seeing in so many other industries, and I have faith that they will get back on track. But until you see reviews saying the service issues have been worked out, I would recommend booking with caution.
