LA boutique hotel with the right amount of preppy mixed with subtle elegance
Palihotel Westwood Village / Los Angeles / California / USA
I am and have always been impressed with people who sees a gap, an opportunity and who acts on it. Like the founder and owner of Palisociety, Avi Brosh. He is originally from the east coast and when moving west to LA he realized there were none of the upscale but yet bohemian hotels there that you would normally find all over NYC. He decided to get to work, trying to fill this gap in the market by opening his first hotel in West Hollywood back in 2008. Today, Palihotels, which is one of the four branches of Palisociety run 12 boutique hotels and counting.
The Palihotel Westwood Village is located in downtown Westwood Village, in the LA region. The claim to fame is that it is here you’ll find UCLA so it has that youthful vibe you’ll experience in all other university towns across the US, only this one has the sunny weather as a bonus. Westwood Village is wedged between Beverly Hills and the Brentwood, a short drive from Santa Monica beach. So basically, a perfect starting point for your LA adventure.
This 55-key hotel is situated in what used to be the Claremont Hotel, the first ever hotel of Westwood Village which opened back in 1939. The style ambition is a mix of mid-century elegance and Parisian eclecticism. To me there is also a preppy element to the design that feels totally right considering the closeness to UCLA. It kind of looks and feels like a dorm room brimming with youthful optimism. The color scheme is all hushed hues with the softest of greys, cream and taupe which are paired with a colorful fitted carpet and some preppy paraphernalia. In our room we had a SMEG mini fridge, Flos lamp and Diptyque amenities, so if this would indeed be a dorm room, it is for sure one of a very well-off student attending some really fancy college.
Welcome to Palihotel Westwood Village!
I am a big fan of this colorful, cheerful entrance.
The lobby/living room area is light and spacious, designed in neutral colors. Incredible what a homey feeling they have managed to create in this space. Really looks and feels like a living room.
I love hotels with a proper reading corner, where there are plenty of mags to flick trough while hanging out in the lobby, eavesdropping to other guests’ conversations.
Soft greys and green plants. A good combo.
The plaid carpet in the corridor adds a preppy look and some much needed boost of color to the design.
And the preppy style continues in the room. To me our room felt like a fancy version of a dorm room.
P for Palihotels.
Vintage meets contemporary.
Love the playful elements in our room, like the backdrop of the wardrobe and the vintage suitcase on the shelf.
Our very elegant bathroom.
Marble tiles and Diptyque products makes for a lux feeling in the bathroom.
Everything in the room is branded with the signature P; the hangers, the pillow, the water bottles and the coffee cups.
On the side of the building there is a terrace perfect for lounging in the shade. That is if you don’t have the same weather like us when we stayed. It rained and rained and rained. But I can imagine that this would be a great place to hang out in normal Californian weather.
Our friends Jack and Tanja took us for a hike in nearby Pacific Palisades. Such a scenic trek with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop.
At one point I turned back and this was my view of Santa Monica beach all the way to Venice.
Enjoying a short break on the top before heading back down the mountain.
Night time has come and time to return to the hotel…
…and to hop into bed, turn off the lights and dream of new LA adventures waiting for us.
RG inside info
This place is perfect if you…
…want to live in vibrant Westwood Village, right next to the impressive UCLA campus. If you like to stay at a cozy, warm boutique hotel with a preppy, youthful touch, then I think you will really like Palihotel Westwood Village.
My favorite thing about this place…
…is that you will always find complimentary coffee at your disposal in the living room/lobby area. And come morning, there are also fresh, complimentary croissants waiting for you from a local bakery.
What not to miss when staying here is…
…to hike. There are so many great opportunities for hiking in the LA area. Our friends Jack and Tanja took us to nearby Pacific Palisades where we did a hike in the mountains, following the coast north. The views of the Pacific and the surrounding mountains were breathtaking.
If you like this hotel you might also like…
Silver Lake Pool & Inn, LA, California, USA
Hotel Julien, Antwerp, Belgium
Sir Albert Hotel, Amsterdam, Netherlands
