I had the opportunity to stay at the Hotel Palomar in the Westwood area of Los Angeles during a short “mini-vacation” over the weekend. The Hotel Palomar is part of the Kimpton family of boutique hotels, and it was my first time staying at any of their nationwide establishments.
I mentioned in the initial reservation that the reason why we were in town was to celebrate Eric’s birthday. I received an e-mail from Bianca a couple of days before the reservation in which she welcomed us to the hotel and offered a complementary upgrade to a “Vista Deluxe” room as well as a “surprise” for Eric’s birthday.
We arrived at the Hotel Palomar at around 2:15pm (I had also requested an early check-in. The normal check-in time is at 3pm). Check-in was friendly and effortless. We received our key cards as well as two coupons for a free glass of sparkling wine from the hotel’s lounge/restaurant – BLVD 16, and a $10 credit to “raid” the mini-bar. We were then escorted to the room by the hotel porter and he helpfully explained everything from how to operate the air-conditioner to how to open the closet door.
As soon as we stepped into the room, we were greeted with a handful of colorful balloons swimming around the ceiling. A few seconds later, a complementary bottle of red wine was delivered as well as a selection of chocolates and a bowl of fresh strawberries. There was even a hand-written note wishing Eric a happy birthday. Talk about hospitality!
We poured the bottle of wine and reclined in the chaise longue while admiring the view from the window (added bonus: we could see Fox Plaza, aka Nakatomi Plaza in Die Hard – Eric was excited).
I would highly recommend the Hotel Palomar. The staff went above and beyond anything I would expect a hotel to do in an effort to make our weekend special and memorable. I was a little sad to leave after such a short stay, but I’m looking forward to staying here again as well as experiencing what the other Kimpton hotels have to offer!
+: wonderful hospitality, daily complementary wine hour from 5-6pm (this was also taken advantage of), contemporary/eclectic design and furnishings (apparently the hotel’s theme is “art in motion pictures”), well stocked mini-bar/forgotten toiletries (we put our $10 credit toward a bag of Kettle Chips, a tube of Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, and a can of Red Bull)
-: valet parking (no self-park lot) is $33/night and the valet stalled Eric’s manual transmission
Hotel Palomar, Los Angeles (Westwood)
10740 Wilshire Blvd. at Selby Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
iCARAlot 
May 24th, 2011 → 1:21 pm
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