Bel-Air Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Hotel Bel-Air is a boutique hotel
located in Bel-Air
, Los Angeles
, California
. The hotel is owned by Hassanal Bolkiah
, the current Sultan of Brunei. It is part of the Dorchester Collection
group of international luxury hotels. Rates run from $565 a night for the most modest room to $4,800 for a hillside suite.
, who developed the area and founded Bel-Air Estates. Originally built as office space and riding stables, it was purchased in 1946 and converted into a hotel by Texan entrepreneur Joseph Drown.
Joseph Drown's partner in the Hotel in the early 1950s was Ted Chanock, a former Chicagoan. Chanock and Drown remained partners until Chanock's death in 1973. Chanock's wife, Frances, remained on as a permanent resident as a condition of the Rosewood purchase agreement with the Joseph Drown Estate in the 1980s.
It was developed as an oasis, a hideaway within the city. Drown added Swan Lake which guests must cross by foot bridge to get to the hotel. The grounds are planted in ficus, fig, palms and continuously-blooming flowers.
The hotel reopened in October, 2011 after a two-year renovation. Upon reopening, management refused to rehire laid off unionized employees. This resulted in street demostrations and calls for a boycott.
Boutique hotel
Boutique hotel is a term popularized in North America and the United Kingdom to describe intimate, usually luxurious or unique hotel environments. Boutique hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain/branded hotels and motels by providing personalized accommodation and services / facilities...
located in Bel-Air
Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California
Bel Air is an affluent residential community in the hills of the Westside of the city of Los Angeles, California. Together with Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills it forms the Platinum Triangle of Los Angeles neighborhoods....
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The hotel is owned by Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah
General Haji Sir Hassan al-Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG is the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th Sultan of Brunei and the first Prime Minister of Brunei Darussalam...
, the current Sultan of Brunei. It is part of the Dorchester Collection
Dorchester Collection
Dorchester Collection is a luxury hotel operator owned by the Brunei Investment Agency , an arm of the Ministry of Finance of Brunei. Dorchester Collection owns and manages 9 luxury five star hotels, The Dorchester, The Beverly Hills Hotel, Plaza Athénée, Hotel Meurice, Principe di Savoia, Hotel...
group of international luxury hotels. Rates run from $565 a night for the most modest room to $4,800 for a hillside suite.
History
Since opening in 1946, the 103-room facility located on Stone Canyon Road, has served many celebrities, heads of state and dignitaries. It was originally built by Alphonzo BellAlphonzo Bell
Alphonzo Edward Bell Sr. was an American oil multi-millionaire, real estate developer, philanthropist, and champion tennis player...
, who developed the area and founded Bel-Air Estates. Originally built as office space and riding stables, it was purchased in 1946 and converted into a hotel by Texan entrepreneur Joseph Drown.
Joseph Drown's partner in the Hotel in the early 1950s was Ted Chanock, a former Chicagoan. Chanock and Drown remained partners until Chanock's death in 1973. Chanock's wife, Frances, remained on as a permanent resident as a condition of the Rosewood purchase agreement with the Joseph Drown Estate in the 1980s.
It was developed as an oasis, a hideaway within the city. Drown added Swan Lake which guests must cross by foot bridge to get to the hotel. The grounds are planted in ficus, fig, palms and continuously-blooming flowers.
The hotel reopened in October, 2011 after a two-year renovation. Upon reopening, management refused to rehire laid off unionized employees. This resulted in street demostrations and calls for a boycott.