Deriving its name from once being the backlot of the Hollywood studio giant 20th Century Fox, Century City has become the newest glass-block, sky-scraping poster child of the booming, but arguably sterile, Los Angeles redevelopment. With a significant amount of money invested in its building and the resulting commercial glut, what was needed was a solid, high-end hotel at its heart. The reimagined ACCOR family member, Fairmont Century Plaza, heeded that call.
In the Hollywood motion-picture and entertainment boom of the 1960s, a quintessentially mid-century modern “hotel of the future” opened up right in the middle of Los Angeles, on land owned by 20th Century Fox. The plan…? To build a desirable, self-sufficient city-within-a-city and attract the world’s most glamorous characters to populate it. So, at its epicentre, they built a world-famous hotel. And it proved successful. Century Plaza quickly became a second home to the studio’s stars, politicians, cultural movers and shakers, and industry disrupters. As an illustrious address, it has hosted equally illustrious names, not to mention high-glam events from the Emmys to the Grammys. For decades, the Fairmont Century Plaza had been the decadent home-away-from-home to America’s rich and famous, a place to see and be seen in the sunny state of California.
Some sixty years later, Century City has a new energy and lease of life. It has rapidly transformed into an ultra-modern commercial and luxury residential centre, with glossy high-rise office buildings, entertainment complexes and chic condos. It is riding the wave of an urban-generation phenomenon happening in much of the world – where top-dollar begets top dollar – a rapid emergence of a mega-capital-led economy and material-centric lifestyles. And of course, this is Los Angeles… so the scale and speed at which it has happened has been incredible.
To match its glitzy neighbourhood, The Fairmont Century Plaza has been reconceived, taking its original, modernist footprint to create something that resonates with today’s luxury jet-set.
The hotel remains gargantuan, with 400 rooms in all. Its completely open-plan lobby area is designed so that you can easily eye up who you’re rubbing shoulders with. A central bar acts as the focal point for its high-society clientele. Upstairs, our 45sqm / nearly 500sqft Studio Suite’s design combines plush, earthy tones, contemporary furnishing and a beautiful marble bathroom. While not the biggest suite in the house, a separate living area made it feel very spacious. We didn’t venture out onto our two signature terraces, but they came with outdoor seating if we ever needed a dose of Angelino sunshine.
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| While you’re Out There |
| Shopaholics, rejoice! The gargantuan mecca of retail-tainment, Westfield Century City is literally right next door to the hotel. Furthermore, it is accessible on foot. Having undergone an 800 million dollar renovation, it has become a flagship of the global megamall brand. While it is everything you would expect from a mall, we have to admit that it’s a particularly good one, not to mention a godsend for hotel guests who may not want to jump in a car just to get a quick bite to eat. |
Other suites range in size, going up to nearly 200 sqm / 2,000 sqft. Deeper pockets undoubtedly procure greater altitude… and height is everything here at the Fairmont because the view from rooms on the lower floors is of other buildings. This said, because Century City is not too densely packed, we didn’t ever feel overlooked. However, because of its situation right on the Avenue of the Stars, not to mention the constant bustle of a high volume of guests (layering on top of that business/conference attendees), the property was quite noisy during our stay.
The best accommodations are on the 9th, 10th and 11th floors. These all have sprawling views of Los Angeles from double-height windows and are mostly reserved for Fairmont Gold guests, the highest echelon of the global brand’s loyalty programme. Card-carrying members have a dedicated reception area, lounge, and all the perks and personalisation that come with the accolade. But it was heartening to see that mere mortals like us still received a very high level of service. We were suitably impressed by the friendliness of the entire international team and their willingness to help with whatever we required. Service at Los Angeles luxury hotels can sometimes be a little stuffy, but at the Fairmont Century City, the welcome was warm.
For added pampering, we indulged in some inner-city escapism at the Fairmont Spa, a sleek 1,300sqm / 14,000sqft temple of wellbeing, featuring avant-garde hydrotherapy and spa facilities. Everything about the space spells rejuvenation and harmony, with an innovative menu of treatments that more than satiated us wellness junkies. Up on the 17th-floor roof deck, we enjoyed the hotel’s heated infinity pool (a pleasure reserved for guests-in-residence only).
All in all, we found the Fairmont Century Plaza to be a solid property with a fabulous story in a great central location… great for those looking to explore the multi-faceted city of Los Angeles. On paper, it is almost impossible to fault. But did it blow us away? Is it our favourite LA-la-land hotel? We’d say no at present. We generally tend to prefer hotels with just that little more soul and character, in more local, walkable neighbourhoods. What’s more, the Fairmont and its surrounding area currently feel very corporate, and at the time of press, there was still a lot of construction going on. We understand, however, that it is still early days in Century City’s regeneration. Perhaps, over time, it will find its mojo. When that time comes, we have no doubt that the hotel will be phenomenal.
Photography of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
