It was my wife’s first Mother’s Day – and I wanted to surprise her with a weekend at The Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. My wife had stayed at this hotel a lot. She had said that The Four Seasons was the perfect place for an assignment as an executive producer for television shows, and as a reporter. She would tell me about the interviews with movie stars, movie producers, directors- and using The Four Seasons as a set for the television programs she produced. The bartender knew your name, your drink, and if you didn’t want to be bothered, he would make sure of it. The food in the restaurant was always top notch. But this was different- this was the first time she would came back with our 9-month-old son. This was the most important assignment- and the Four Seasons proved to be a perfect backdrop for April’s first mother’s day weekend.
Mother’s Day at Four Seasons Beverly Hills
Calling ahead of time we asked if we could get a crib for the room – no problem. Called back- could you baby-proof the room for a toddler – no problem. When we arrived – all the plugs were covered, anything he could reach was easily placed out of his reach. The crib was top quality – already made with perfect sheets and a blanket. In the crib was a stuffed bear, a bathroom set (baby powder, baby shampoo, baby soap, baby lotion, and a few other items). The mini-bar refrigerator had been cleaned out of the sodas to make room for formula- could they have been more thoughtful? When we looked in the bathroom- well- see the photo.
Four Seasons Hotel welcomes JJ
We have our favorite list of restaurants in LA (posts about them later) – but they were all when we were either single, or newly married without JJ. The concierge was perfect in directing us to a hotel that was close, but very friendly for kids – Susan Fenninger’s Street.
That night, leaving for a restaurant, the hotel called the car for us. When he pulled up he had already installed the child seat – said that he wouldn’t take anyone under 40 pounds without it. After the restaurant we called the car and he said he was just around the corner, “I thought you would be done about now, so I wanted to be close so you wouldn’t have to wait.”
Town Car – set up for JJ, Four Seasons Beverly Hills
In the land of twitter you meet people who become your friends, or are friends of friends, and you want to meet them. Amy was one of those- someone who had seen photos of JJ on twitter, and whose art we had purchased – best place to meet her- the bar. We called it Darwin’s bar because it has paintings of monkeys. Our friend, Sam Hallenbeck – host of StarWatch recommended we get the house Red Zinfandel- perfect.
Bar at the Four Seasons- perfect place for friends
Sometimes, after a day of travel you just want to stay in the hotel to eat. Four Seasons Culina is a restaurant with serious food. Our morning favorite was eating at the Spa, where we could sit outside. They brought us a blanket when it was a bit cold for JJ.
Snuggled in Service at Four Seasons
Mother’s Day brunch in LA – the Four Seasons brunch was amazing and perfect. A few stars wondered in and out of the brunch- but the real star was JJ- who the waiters and waitresses seemed to enjoy more than the movie stars
The difference between a four star hotel and a five star hotel is not the opulence of the interior- or the “newness” of the room- but the service. There is no doubt that Four Seasons is a five star.
Assignment Mother’s Day Weekend- complete success!
Terry Simpson was chairman of the board of CIRI, whose portfolio included several resort properties including a Ritz Carleton, Hyatt Regency, and Westin. He opened several of the hotels. Retired – he is an authority on what constitutes service, and always insisted that every guest of the hotel be treated as he was (he was known to go to the hotels incognito to check their service). “There is no excuse for any hotel employee not to offer five star service.”