Avenue of the Stars
I have had a 30 year love affair with Los Angeles. She is a seductive mistress and no matter where I am in the world, her siren song turns my head and keeps me coming back for more.
Once I hit the ground at LAX, I am immediately drawn to Century City. In the 1990s, my favourite hotel was the Park Hyatt, where the General Manager, Cormac O’Modhrain, would welcome me warmly with his wonderful Irish accent and make me feel at home. Cormac’s sartorial style was noteworthy – channelling the epitome of movie star splendour – so it was never a surprise to see him often in deep conversation with the likes of Sean Connery or Julia Roberts. As an excellent host, he would always find a way to introduce his ‘Aussie mate from Down Under’, and for just that moment made me feel like a star.
I would often walk along the Avenue of the Stars and always admire the curved iconic Century Plaza Hotel. Built on a back lot of 20th Century Fox and established in 1966, the Hotel became an enduring favourite of US Presidents, from LBJ to George W. Bush, royalty and pop stars. It was the highest building on the hill with the Presidential Suite looking all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Whilst I was always intrigued by this famous hotel, I had never thought of staying there until 2006, when it was taken over by the Hyatt brand, and the Park Hyatt was subsequently closed.
Seeing a crane hoisting the Hyatt sign up out the front of the Century Plaza Hotel, felt a bit like winning the travel lottery. With the hotel renamed to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, I could now satisfy my curiosity about this historic building and I promptly made it my new base in LA.
In 2008, whilst maintaining the Hyatt brand, the property was sold, and this was to set in motion much angst from the locals about the future of this building. The new owners wanted to demolish and rebuild. The locals scrambled to save the building and, in 2009, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added the structure to its annual list of America’s 11 most endangered historic places.
It appears plans for ‘sensitive rehabilitation’ have been agreed to, with the preservation of some 400 of the 726 rooms whilst converting those on the top floors to 45 condos.The developer plans to propose other buildings on the site to the rear and/or sides of the hotel and a low-scale structure with some retail shops or restaurants to enhance the front of the hotel.
An excellent compromise has been reached and the Hyatt continues to provide a peaceful haven of contemporary glamour and exceptional style set on seven green acres in the midst of the city, adjacent to Beverly Hills.
Whilst staying recently at the hotel, I met up with Adrienne from the hotel’s PR team. In talking to her about Classic Lifestyle Magazine’s ‘Childhood Obesity Initiative’ (as published in our 2013 edition) she was keen to show me what the Hyatt’s team of chefs had developed. With sustainability at the heart of the dining options, the Hyatt offers food that is good for guests, good for the community and good for the planet. The menus feature food from natural, local and sustainable sources. The chefs are active in the local schools and community and are encouraging local providers to sell organic produce. It was inspiring to see a genuine approach to promoting healthy living, rather than tofu tokenism, and everything looked delicious. This approach has also filtered down throughout the staff into a real fitness culture within the hotel, in the staff cafeteria and into a staff fitness program.
With its celebrity-studded guest list and its fresh approach to health and sustainability, this luxury accommodation should definitely be on your list when next visiting the City of Angels. Be warned though, the hotel backs onto the Westfield Century City Plaza mall – with its own irresistible pull and many opportunities to lighten the wallet to help boost the US economy.
