HOTEL REVIEW | RATING: * *
West Hollywood’s Palihouse Holloway falls short
The extended-stay hotel in West Hollywood lacks sufficient amenities for long-term guests.
THE GIST:
Three things I liked:
An authentic menu at the Hall, the in-house French brasserie.
The hotel's wry design both skewers and applauds antiques.
Spacious rooms with upscale appliances.
Three things I didn't:
The hotel is understaffed for guests' needs.
Black-and-gray guest-room décor gets oppressive.
High prices without hotel service or amenities
When your wanderlust, occupation or toxic remodeling project causes you to uproot, chances are you're landing in limbo, a.k.a. temporary housing.
Southern California is full of rentals with Murphy beds, kitchenettes and inflexible and pricey monthly leases. The area overflows with beautiful hotels that will cater to you like an adoring grandmother. What it doesn't have is a good selection of extended-stay hotels that blend the comfort of an inn and your home.
Developer Avi Brosh thought he could fill that niche with a new concept in hospitality -- a hybrid of boutique hotel and condominium complex. In January, Brosh opened Pali- house Holloway in West Hollywood.
He calls these places "boutique urban lodges." I call them under-serviced hotels.
On a mid-February stay, I found an imaginatively decorated lobby, guest rooms with a residential but oppressively dark feel, helpful but skimpy staff and such limited hotel amenities that a motel seemed comparatively full service.
What kind of place charges $325 to $425 a night, plus about $50 in taxes and $26 for parking, and doesn't include daily maid service? Check in for a week at the 36-unit hotel, and the maid shows up only twice. Order cleaning a la carte, and it's $50 a pop.
And so it was. The valet, for instance, knew nothing of handling hotel guests, only how to park cars for the restaurant, a top-rate French brasserie called the Hall.
Winding through unmarked stairways and elevators, I found the check-in desk and a friendly "house master" who verified my reservation.
Though staff members were unfailingly courteous, they were distracted by other duties, so I couldn't always find what I needed.
The hotel, or urban lodge, or whatever, isn't particularly Californian either. I loved the lobby lounge's odd collision of elements: a long, communal table; headless dog statues embedded with speakers; stately couches.
The décor at Palihouse Holloway hits a solid residential note. Its lobby and courtyard offer enough segregated spaces to entertain privately and enough open areas to encourage friendly interactions.
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