Beverly Hilton Hotel
Encyclopedia
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
located on an 8.9 acres (3.6 ha) property at the intersection of Wilshire
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
and Santa Monica Boulevards in Beverly Hills, 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...
, USA. The Beverly Hilton has housed many awards shows, charity benefits and entertainment and motion picture industry events, and is perhaps best known as the home of the annual Golden Globe Awards.
History
Conrad HiltonConrad Hilton
Conrad Nicholson Hilton was an American businessman and investor. He is well known for being the founder of the Hilton Hotels chain.-Early life:Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico...
opened the Welton Becket
Welton Becket
Welton Becket was an architect who designed many buildings in Los Angeles, California.Becket was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Washington program in Architecture in 1927 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree .He settled in Los Angeles in 1933 and formed a...
designed Beverly Hilton Hotel as a showpiece in 1953 with 582 rooms.
Since 1961, the hotel's International Ballroom has hosted the Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
ceremony, presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is an organization composed of working journalists who cover the United States film industry for a variety of outlets, including newspapers and magazines in Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Today, the 90 members of the HFPA represent at least 55...
.
In 1975, 50% of the property was sold to Prudential Insurance Company forming a partnership with the Hilton Hotels Corporation
Hilton Hotels Corporation
Hilton Worldwide is a global hospitality company. It is owned by the Blackstone Group, a private equity firm. As of July 2011 Hilton brands encompass 3,750 hotels with over 600,000 rooms in 84 countries...
. The partnership sold the hotel to entertainer and businessman Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
for $100.2 million in December 1987.
The Beverly Hilton had completed a $35 million renovation prior to Mr. Griffin's purchase. The hotel was Mr. Griffin's second choice, as he had expressed an interest in buying the 260-room Beverly Hills Hotel
Beverly Hills Hotel
The Beverly Hills Hotel is a hotel on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California. It was opened on May 12, 1912 by Margaret J. Anderson and her son, Stanley S. Anderson, who had been managing the Hollywood Hotel. The original main building of The Beverly Hills Hotel was designed by Pasadena...
, which had recently sold to the Sultan 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...
of Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
for $200 million by a group headed by the Denver oilman Marvin Davis
Marvin Davis
Marvin H. Davis was an American industrialist and philanthropist...
.
Griffin owned the hotel from 1987 to 2003, during which time its reputation faded as maintenance was deferred and competition increased. In 2003 Griffin sold the Beverly Hilton for $130 million to Beny Alagem
Beny Alagem
Beny Alagem is an Israeli American entrepreneur, developer, and the founder of Packard Bell Electronics, a leading American computer manufacturer during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
, the co-founder of Packard Bell Electronics
Packard Bell
Packard Bell is a Dutch computer manufacturer and a subsidiary of Acer. The name was previously used by Packard Bell, an American radio manufacturer founded in 1926. In 1986, Israeli investors bought the name for a newly formed personal computer manufacturer. Originally the company produced...
through his company Oasis West Realty. Commemorating its 50th anniversary, an ambitious $80 million renovation by architecture firm Gensler
Gensler
Gensler is an American design and architecture firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm was founded in 1965 by Art Gensler, Drue Gensler, and James Follett, and originally focused on corporate interiors...
began in conjunction with Hilton Hotels, which has managed the property since it opened.
The renovation reduced the number of rooms to 570, which feature 42-inch plasma high-definition televisions and Bose Wave radios
Bose wave systems
Bose Corporation's Wave Music Systems are table top radios that have been selling from its inception in 1984 to today. The wave radios are considered all-in-one systems with "A decade of research" that allowed for better sound in a smaller unit.-Overview:...
. The rooms also have ample work spaces, reflecting a change at the hotel, which long catered mostly to leisure travelers, into a property where business travelers constitute 80 percent of the clientele. The meeting spaces and the main ballroom - where the Golden Globes movie awards ceremonies are held - were also renovated.
Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria and Measure H
In April 2006, plans were unveiled for a $500-million expansion to the Beverly Hilton Hotel property. The plans require an amendment to Beverly Hills' general plans three-story height limit in order to build two 13-story condominium towers and a 15-story “condo hotel,” where rooms would be rented to guests when their owners are away. One intent of the plan was to position the upgraded hotel as a less-expensive 4½ -star alternative to nearby five-star rivals such as the Peninsula.Two new three-story buildings on Wilshire Boulevard would house 96 guest rooms and shops. The Beverly Hilton will be a renovated into a smaller, 402-room hotel, renamed the Beverly Hilton Oasis. A 120-room Waldorf=Astoria Beverly Hills hotel, designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, will be included in the project. The Waldorf=Astoria Beverly Hills will be the first new hotel for the brand on the west coast. The Beverly Hilton and the Waldorf=Astoria would be separate experiences, but operated and managed by Hilton Hotels Corporation.
The Beverly Hills City Council approved the $500 million project by a 3-2 vote. Local resident opponents led by a group called Citizens Right to Decide Committee gathered enough signatures to place the referendum (Measure H) on the November 4, 2008, ballot with the argument that "It's Just Too Big." Measure H authorized the Beverly Hills City Council to amend the city's general plan to allow a "luxury hotel, condominiums and open space" to be built on the site of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Resolution No. 08-R-12601, “Resolution of the Council of the City of Beverly Hills amending the General Plan to enable the revitalization of the Beverly Hilton Hotel site with a new Luxury Hotel, Condominiums, and Open Space,” Los Angeles County election officials reported a week after the vote that local Measure H was losing by 68 votes, with provisional ballots yet to be counted. On December 2, 2008, yes on H passed by 129 votes out of over 15,000 cast.
Famous events
- Golden Globe Awards since 1961
- Clive DavisClive DavisClive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
Pre-Grammy Party - Richard Nixon'sRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
"last press conference"Richard Nixon's last press conferenceThe so-called "last press conference" of Richard Nixon took place on November 7, 1962 following his loss to Democratic incumbent Pat Brown in the 1962 California gubernatorial election...
, in which he lashed out at the media following his defeat in the 1962 California governor's race. - Annual host to the Academy Awards Governor's Ball
- U.S. Presidential candidate and Senator John EdwardsJohn EdwardsJohnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
was videotaped visiting Rielle HunterRielle HunterRielle Hunter , August 1, 2008, San Jose Mercury-News. is an American actress and film producer. She is known for having had an affair with and conceiving a child with 2004 Democratic Party vice-presidential nominee John Edwards., August 8, 2008, Chicago Tribune. She is said to be the basis of a...
, during his extramarital affair scandal. - The Jackson Family Foundation and Voiceplate put on a celebration on June 26, 2010, honoring the anniversary of the death of pop singer Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
entitled "Forever Michael". http://www.voiceplate.com/MJ/