Peninsula is most certainly a top-notch, five star hotel - they make an effort to make you comfortable and the service level is exceptionally high.

Given that the lowest rate for a standard room starts at USD 550 this is however expected, but nevertheless from the moment you step into the reception until checking out they always make an effort to make you feel comfortable, and offer extra perks when needed.

They have a courtesy car service chauffeured by very polite and well-spoken drivers, consisting of top-of-the-range Lexus limousines and a Rolls-Royce Phantom (that one is abit over the top for a young travellers, but still good fun!). These cars are only for use within immediate Beverly Hills area though, so a town car has to be reserved for longer trips within greater LA.

The crowd? Well what can I say, mostly older clientele hanging around the reception/Belvedere restaurant with the younger people lounging but the pool - a great setting though and you can watch live sports on the LCD screens in the cabanas (though they charge USD 250/day to rent these).

Would definitely return here.

We seem to have settled into a routine now for one of our annual holidays: fly to LA, five days at the Peninsula and then drive down to Palm Springs for ten days of sun and relaxation.

This year travel was complicated by the need to be in Delhi for one of us immediately before the holiday, so we arrived separately, one from London and one via Hong Kong and over the Pacific. Quite a journey but one that was straightaway consigned to the past on being greeted by the Peninsula representative at LAX and into the back of a most comfortable Mercedes S Class ... so tired was I on arrival that I leapt straight into the foyer and missed the receptionist waiting outside to hand over my room key, but quickly set right off to our usual room, a large Grand Deluxe on a quiet corner and a bath ... which at the Peninsula is wonderfully sized and equipped, no miserly towel rations here.

From there on, it was another superlative stay - the staff are just great, David the concierge fixed and sorted and dealt with planning and reservations before I found an issue, dealt with my car hire like a dream.

The drivers especially Simon and Argon were dreamy and just silently whirred us to wherever we needed to go.

All in all, just about perfect.

One evening we ate at the Four Seasons - it was quite illuminating in the sense that the experience at the Peninsula was just better all round. I thought the Four Seasons lobby and public rooms where quite second rate in comparison.

Having heard about the many accolades and songs of praise of this hotel I decided to book here for 3 nights.

I was ultimately disappointed with this hotel though I can see the potential of this hotel. Many small issues compounded to make for a frustrating stay which suggests larger systems breakdowns behind the scenes. However, the hotel also has elements which ought to be praised as well.

Booked a Deluxe room which included a daily continental breakfast.

The Room...

Our Deluxe room had a very classic decor with yellow walls and mint green accents. The room overlooked the front entrance of the hotel (and the Beverly Hilton beyond) so you could watch the stream of expensive and super-expensive cars come and go all day through a large window which opens up to let in fresh air. The same window was poor in blocking out the noise from traffic. There was an arm chair, small coffee table, and a two seater sofa in the room.

The King bed was very comfortable and the pillows were very soft and comfy. The bedside control panel only controlled the air conditioning fan speed (not temperature), the night light, valet call, and either DND or Make Up room call signs. There were 4 phones, one on each side of the bed with one a cordless unit, one in the bathroom and the other on the desk. Hi-speed internet was complimentary and the room also had a Bose Wave radio /cd unit.

The disappointment was the flat panel tv which was a cheap unit which was less than 26", for a hotel which has Bang & Olufsen telephones phones, using Zenith was an error as while B&O and Peninsula can be synonomous, the cheap television set is not.

The bathroom only had a single sink, a deep soaking tub, separate WC and stall shower and stocked with Molton Brown toiletries which were only replenished after I kept asking.

All in all, a comfortable room perfect for a short stay.

Service Issues...

Service is VERY SLOW and there aren't any little touches or attention to detail at this hotel. A request for ice will take 25-35 minutes. Ordering the continental breakfast from Room service in the morning takes 20 - 30 minutes to arrive. I cannot understand why a continental breakfast would take so long - the apple and orange juice was not even freshly squeezed. There was no extra pot of hot water for my tea which was like coffee by the time it arrived. Pastries were decent but the croissants were stale.

My room key needed to be re-keyed twice as each time only one of our keys would work. Both times, the staff gave us a look of bewilderment, made us feel that we were imposing on them with a ridiculous request, and made us feel by their snide comments as if it were MY fault.

Room Service...

I ordered our breakfast from Room Service every morning. The first morning we ordered only after waking up and it took over 30 minutes for delivery. The quality was pretty good, though the Apple and orange juice wasn't freshly squeezed and the croissants were doughy, heavy, and tough and very stale.

One evening, feeling peckish (after a busy day out), I ordered some soup and a ham and cheese sandwich. Thirty-five minutes later my soup and a sandwich arrived. Only after the waiter left I realised that my sandwich was a cheese only sandwich. Calling room service again I was promised another sandwich but no real apologies were offered. Another 25 minutes passed before the new sandwich appeared. The waiter was not concerned that the first sandwich was incorrect nor did he apologies either.

The quality of food is pretty good but not delicious as compared to other hotels. Portions on the whole are generous though their burger was on the skimpy side.

Concierge...

I found the Concierge service to be competent but nothing extraordinary. I did not find the Concierges to be overly friendly or willing to offer any extra help. This attitude defines the service we experienced throughout our stay; barely competent but will not go any further or above and beyond.

Conclusions...

Complimentary internet access is very much welcomed and I wish more luxury hotels would follow suit of Peninsula. Service needs polishing and needs to be improved (service was lackluster, not very attentive, lacking a close eye to detail and lacking the little things) but if the hotel can get their service act together this would be an excellent hotel worthy of its reputation.

This was our second visit (myself and my husband) and it was fabulous!!! So much personal service and attention to every detail. We even had a brand new (the temporary plates were still on) LEXUS at our disposal,which was complimentary!!
Breakfast was included with our stay (not completely - a partial credit) and the food was great!!! I highly recommend the Egg Frittata. We dined at the local restaurants and one evening we were driven in the hotel's "House Car"- which was a Rolls Royce to our destination..Also had a great "Hot Stone" Massage in the hotel Spa..All in all our 3 days in Beverly Hills were truly memorable!