Marvellous Montage
22 October 2009
The wonderful Frank Bowling is now to be found at The Montage in Beverly Hills, working alongside in an ambassadorial role the GM, Ali Kasikci, formerly GM at The Penninsula down the road.
Frank was for a long time everybody’s favourite GM at The Bel Air, he ran it perfectly and personally so everyone who stayed there was truly well looked after from Royalty to Presidents to A- List movie stars. I went on a familiarisation trip there many years ago for 72 hours only but it was the most memorable 72 hours of a hotel visit I have experienced. Frank made sure on arrival to departure one wanted for nothing, allocating the very best rooms to us and providing great entertainment round the lunch table on the patio and most importantly full jugs of pimms round the pool on the last day there. The Bel Air is now shut for two years, something The Montage and The Beverly Hills Hotel will benefit greatly by with regard to absorbing their guestlist. The Montage is best placed for those who prefer their hotel design muted with browns and beiges, dark wood and light deep pile carpets and luxurious bedlinen. It’s also ideal for those (like me) who don’t drive in LA and simply want to step out of their hotel and walk up the road to the shops as it’s located in the golden triangle of Beverly Hills, straddling both North Canon and Beverly Drive, also offering spacious tranquil hallways, a lovely bar and dining areas with roaring fires and a chef’s table dining experience which in LA is pretty rare. I was invited by Frank and his charming Sales Director Charles Fitzer to try out a huge junior suite for one night that was at least twice the size of my flat, which isn’t exactly a shoebox. The main plasma TV takes up almost one whole wall, and the balcony looks over a quiet rooftop courtyard. The bath was deep and the amenities were the best smelling soaps and body lotions I have ever tried in a five star hotel so they ended up happily in my overnight bag to re-experience back in my humble bathroom. The bed was so incredibly comfortable I literally sank into the mattress not to resurface for 8 hours, which when one is still fighting jet lag is a welcome gift. The rooftop swimming pool is elegant with excellent and attentive service (and great food). It’s not overrun with bodies that one is too scared to lie nearly naked beside – it’s a nice non-obnoxious crowd and for extra privacy one can rent a cabana for $300 a day. A complimentary foot massage is on hand – a very sensible treat as one is lying in a position where it doesn’t require doing anything but appreciating how much you really needed it once it’s over. A final sneak around in the spa before I left made me want to be sure to book into it for its beauty treatments, hair salon and gym (yeah, right) even as an outside visitor for next time – a very luxurious and beautifully run hotel.
-Kate Lenahan is FQR’s travel editor
