Hotel Angeleno, Los Angeles: the delightfully unexpected

Los Angeles is a city of many faces. Every time our travels take us there we explore something new. It could be a new attraction, a new place to see the sunset, or simply a new curvy road in the mountains right outside of LA. This time our travels took us to the Hotel Angeleno. Being on the crossroads of Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, this is a true gem that you simply cannot miss while traveling South or Northbound on 405. A tall round tower catches your eye immediately.

The first thing that struck us was the slogan, “We are not square.” From the slogan, the culture builds on, and every guest gets a chance to experience multiple amenities exclusively offered here – from a complimentary 3-mile shuttle to a daily wine hour from 5.30 to 6.30 pm. Additionally to that, Hotel Angeleno is the only Los Angeles hotel that has directly partnered with Uber, which provides guests with an exclusive opportunity to order Uber at the front desk and have it billed directly to the room.

Another difference of Hotel Angeleno is “Skip the Tip” policy, with the hotel and WEST restaurant upstairs being completely gratuity-free. It might be unexpected for most of the guests, but from bartender to bellman Hotel Angeleno has got you covered.

Being centrally located, it’s only minutes to The Getty Center, Santa Monica Promenade, and Beverly Hills. The hotel offers a valet parking, and if you book your stay directly through their Inner Circle Awards, you can enjoy it complimentary.

Being a round building, every room has a view. Ours was featuring downtown LA, so every morning you could see the sun going up, lighting up the city. Grab a cup of fresh coffee in the cafeteria and sit by the pool to enjoy it. After a day of exploring, get back to the hotel for the wine hour, and don’t forget to check out the penthouse space of the WEST Restaurant on the 17^th floor. Being one of the Top 10 Rooftop Lounges in LA, it offers unparalleled 360-degree views of the city skyline.

The restaurant offers a wide variety of menu choices and has specials all day, every day. You can either stop in for breakfast at 6:00 AM – 10.30 AM, lunch at 11:00 AM-2 PM, or dinner at 6:00 PM-10:00 PM. If you happen to stay at Hotel Angeleno during the weekend, you could also enjoy their special brunch, with bottomless Sangrias and Mimosas. Happy Hour starts at 4.05 pm, when the 405 stops. Up until 6 PM, you can enjoy multiple happy hour specials – from all kinds of small bites, including barbeque pork sliders, fish taco, and tomato flatbread, to house chardonnay, – each pick at $8.

We stopped by for a dinner on a Friday night and had a chance to sample a couple of dishes from the Dinner menu. I picked Seafood Fra Diavolo – pasta featuring all kinds of seafood – scallops, shrimp, calamari, mussels, roasted red pepper, all topped with spicy marinara sauce.  My companions went with different choices – Brentwood Salad with seasonal fruits and veggies, Miso-Ginger Salmon, and Peach BBQ Pork Chop, topped with fingerling potato salad, southern green beans, and roasted peach. For those of you craving to try all the choices available, there is Chef’s Tasting Menu, which includes 5 courses, at $85 per person, or at $110, if you pair it with wine. Being an American cuisine eatery, you really cannot go wrong with any of the menu choices, and even if you hate eating as a process – you must visit WEST Restaurant only for the view itself.

There are a lot of choices for everyone who visits LA, but Hotel Angeleno evolves everything that you are possibly looking for while visiting the city. From their round-shaped room keys to a complimentary shuttle and wine hour, they have managed to get a traveler everything that their heart desires.

When you visit LA, stay at Hotel Angeleno. Or, better yet, visit LA as just an excuse to stay at Hotel Angeleno.