An Integral Part of Our City's History: The Beverly Hills Hotel

On May 12, 1912, Margaret J. Anderson and her son, Stanley S. Anderson, opened the . Work had begun on the hotel a year earlier. The Los Angeles Times called it a "monster hostelry" since it cost $300,000 to build. A descendant of the hotel's first family, Robbie Anderson, still lives in Beverly Hills today.

Minus a City Hall for so many years, the Beverly Hills Hotel served as the city's political Civic Center, hosting community activities and celebrations. A little red train named "Dinky" carried passengers from the major train station on Santa Monica Boulevard and Canon Drive to the hotel.

Many old hotel photos show equestrians across the street riding through "Civic Center Park," later called "Sunset Park," which was eventually renamed "."

From 1928-32, the Beverly Hills Hotel was owned by the Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Company. Hernando Courtright was sent by the Bank of America in 1935 to close down the hotel. However, he fell in love with the place and somehow figured out how to keep it open. The entire city owes him a debt of gratitude for saving the landmark before he moved on to run the .

Taking over from Courtright, real estate tycoon Ben Silberstein was the hotel's owner from 1954 until his death in 1979. Marvin H. Davis bought the Beverly Hills Hotel for $136 million from Silberstein's family in 1986. Davis then sold the pink, 260-room hotel in 1987 to its current owner, the Sultan of Brunei, for $185 million.

The Sultan of Brunei purchased the hotel to be his personal palace. However, the city prevented this as the hotel was too much a part of Beverly Hills' history. He then began a 2.5-year renovation of the hotel for $100 million. The hotel is still managed and owned by the Dorchester Collection, which was organized in 1996 to manage the hotel interests of the sultan's Brunei Investment Agency.

Another famous aspect of the hotel is its restaurant, the Polo Lounge. It originally got its name because and his movie star friends (such as Douglas Fairbanks and Spencer Tracy) used to play weekend polo games up at Rogers' ranch above Sunset Boulevard. After the games the group would visit the hotel lounge. The classic Neil McCarthy salad served there was named after the polo-playing millionaire.

The Beverly Hills Hotel has been the venue for many mega deals: Paramount was bought out by Gulf & Western at a meeting there. signed her first movie contract at the hotel. Jean Harlow played tennis on the hotel's courts. You can still spot celebrities eating a meal (although many in the entertainment crowd choose to privately sit inside the restaurant rather than the patio tables). But more importantly, you can also find lifetime residents like Planning Commissioner Brian Rosenstein, whose family moved to Beverly Hills in the 1920s, enjoying a meal at the hotel.

(This writer's favorite breakfast at the hotel happens to be whole wheat pancakes in the downstairs Fountain Coffee Shop.)

The Beverly Hills Hotel is also famed for its notable "Martinique" patterned wallpaper, a banana leaf motif created by fashion designer Don Loper.

In the 50s and 60s, people's lives revolved around the hotel. When this writer arrived here in 1960, the pink facade of the Beverly Hills Hotel was copied on many houses. Big family parties often occurred in the hotel's Crystal Room. Svend Petersen, the hotel's pool manager for 42 years, taught children how to dive when there was still a high-dive board. In the late 60s, this writer helped an escape artist pal practice in the pool for a Steve Allen Show.

Children also attended Mrs. O'Kane's Dance School at the hotel. Dance recitals were held on the pool deck. Former resident and entertainment family member Carol Ward Dudley remembers being a daffodil for one of these performances. 

The Beverly Hills Hotel represents elegance and class. It's the embodiment of everything great about old Hollywood and has phenomenal guest services. The pink castle at the base of our hills has housed celebrities, politicians, models and international royalty, and was even featured on the cover of the Eagles' 1976 Hotel California LP.

Just like in Beverly Hills, "You can check out but you can never leave..."

Thanks for reading, Russ