Kimpton La Peer hotel, West Hollywood: A decadent boutique hotel where the mantra is 'party, purify, repeat'

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This was published 5 years ago

Kimpton La Peer hotel, West Hollywood: A decadent boutique hotel where the mantra is 'party, purify, repeat'

By Julie Miller
Kimpton La Peer Hotel, West Hollywood.

Kimpton La Peer Hotel, West Hollywood.Credit: Laure Joliet

Could there by anything more West Hollywood than a rooftop yoga session followed by bubbly mimosas? The concept of drinking alcohol after a cleansing stretch may be anathema to yoga purists but that's the way they roll in WeHo – "party, purify, repeat".

Historically, the city of West Hollywood – an irregular, pistol-shaped 4.9-square-kilometre enclave bordered by Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Fairfax – has marched to the beat of its own drum, breaking rules since its inception on the back of Prohibition in 1925.

Repeatedly rejecting calls for annexation to the City of Los Angeles, the former railway settlement of Sherman became a veritable den of iniquity after its incorporation as West Hollywood. Its casinos, nightclubs and bars lured fringe dwellers and mobsters, and it remained unscathed by the heavy hand of the LAPD.

Kimpton La Peer Hotel, West Hollywood.

Kimpton La Peer Hotel, West Hollywood.Credit: Laure Joliet

Today this is the most fashionable part of LA, a centre for design and entertainment and a bastion of non-conformity, with 40 per cent of its 39,000 residents identifying as LGBTQ. Playing hard is mandatory in WeHo, while recovery has also been elevated to an art form, with every spa treatment and obscure exercise regime imaginable on offer.

Opened in January 2018, Kimpton La Peer is the first hotel to grace West Hollywood's "design district", its art deco and contemporary styling reflecting the surrounding neighbourhood's emphasis on culture, innovation and fashion. Just around the corner from the pet-friendly hotel are popular vegan/Mexican restaurant, Gracias Madre, celebrity hangout Craig's and trendy coffee stop Verve Coffee Roasters. Further up Melrose is the Pacific Design Centre and a plethora of designer boutiques, all easily explored on foot or via the hotel's complimentary transportation, with Uber Select, to any destination within a 1.6-kilometre radius.

Gulla Jonsdottir, principal of Gulla Jonsdottir Architecture & Design, has produced an intimate elegant space at La Peer, from indoor/outdoor spaces with fire pits, to the library ambience of the leather-walled lobby lounge. Her first studio once stood on the hotel grounds, and adjacent to the front desk is the Icelandic-born designer's own gallery, Atelier, which hosts rotating exhibitions as well as Jonsdottir's personal art work.

Tucked behind the heated outdoor pool, with its cabanas and daybeds, is the hotel's fitness centre, and, while compact, it packs a punch in terms of offerings. Brand-new workout machines and fitness classes are courtesy of celebrity personal trainer Marco Reed.

Wellness is at the core of the La Peer experience. There is a (designer) yoga mat in every guest room (a roll-out service is available if you aren't up to the extra flick of the wrist) while guests are encouraged to download a free Yoga Wake Up app – a gentle "alarm clock" that delivers audio yoga sequences you can do from the comfort of bed if, like me, you are too lazy to get up.

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After cleansing the soul with morning yoga, the body is equally indulged at night with a customised bubblebath service. On request, a butler will draw a bath using essential oils from Ole Henriksen Spa, the deep-soaking tub scattered with orchid petals and a freshly grated cucumber mask to cool the eyes.

Meanwhile, adjacent to guest registration, a coffee trolley also offers kombucha on tap, to get the digestive juices flowing, while the healthy welcome drink is a cold-pressed juice from local company Little West.

Held on the sunny hotel rooftop on the last Saturday of the month from April to September, morning flow yoga sessions led by local instructors have been embraced by the community, with the hour-long class followed by complimentary mimosas – the perfect prelude to a leisurely, boozy brunch.

TRIP NOTES

Julie Miller was a guest of West Hollywood Travel & Tourism Board.

MORE

traveller.com.au/north-america

visitwesthollywood.com

FLY

United Airlines (united.com), Delta Airlines (delta.com) and Qantas (qantas.com) fly daily from Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles.

STAY

From US$475 a night. See kimptonlapeer.com

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