L.A. and San Francisco are different creatures. One is sprawling and sun-drenched, the other dense and ruled by fog. One is glamorous and pulsing with energy, the other free-thinking and non-conformist.
Maybe that’s why every time I head south for a weekend in L.A., it feels like cheating. Exciting and frenzied, there’s always the danger of falling deeply in love, of running away from the wind and steep hills and the tech bros and never looking back.
A glamorous hotel only enhances the fantasy, and the Cameo Beverly Hills does it well.
The monochromatic and wood-paneled entrance to the Cameo Beverly Hills.(Courtesy of Cameo Beverly Hills, LXR Hotels & Resorts)
A $30 million transformation this spring turned the interior of the old Tower Beverly Hills—a sleek, mid-century monument of a building erupting from the quiet south end of the city-within-a-city—into an elegant homage to Old Hollywood as part of Hilton’s luxury LXR Hotels & Resorts portfolio.
Instead of leaning into the era’s glitz, the aesthetic created by Texas design studio Premier has a sophisticated, almost European feel. The lobby and concierge area laid with with monochromatic tiled floors and dark wood-paneled walls, the all-day lounge with sexy, rounded seating in shades of blush and cerulean, tasteful abstract paintings and modernist details, and a slick, inset mahogany bar.
Climbing up the 12-floor tower are 138 rooms and suites, each with a private balcony overlooking the city. From the cafe table on mine up on the ninth floor, the Hollywood Hills are dusky blue sentinels over the shining city. The bright day streams inside, reflected by the neutral colors of the king-sized bed’s headboard and pale hardwood floors, its winged armchair and cork-front bureau. A rug of the same mountain shade is like a reflecting pool at the center of the room. Spa-inspired baths are freshly tiled with Byredo Bal d’Afrique products and deep, dreamy soaking tubs in the suites.
A guest room with the hills in the distance.(Courtesy of Cameo Beverly Hills, LXR Hotels & Resorts)
Back down at the ground level, a freshly appointed deck has its own pool glinting in the sun. Two gauzy, white cabanas house sunset-colored seating on one edge while striped green loungers trace the others, some with green umbrellas lined with a citrus print. Another patio area outside the Silhouette Lounge no more than 100 feet away delivers a similar kind of Mediterranean feel wrapped in leafy green trees.
The signature restaurant, Zampo, falls between the two patios. Peruvian with a modern California twist, its lunch and dinner menus are full of familiar dishes, like cebiche made with Corvina sea bass and citrus, and a Lima-style tiradito with ají amarillo, salmon sashimi, and sweet potato. Main courses including lomo saltado with heirloom peppers, pan-fried branzino, and charred octopus take center stage, supported by a cast of guarniciones like cherrywood-smoked potato puree and charred caulini.
Cocktails come with traditional and modern Peruvian flair—think Maracuyas with pisco, passion fruit, and egg whites, and Ají Amarillo with reposado tequila, citrus sour, tamarind syrup, and housemade aji amarillo agave—along with some Beverly Hills classics. That’s also the angle toward which breakfast and brunch lean, with choices that run the gamut from lightweights (acai bowls, avocado toast) to heavy hitters (lox and lobster Benedicts; croissant, egg, and prosciutto sandwiches), with a touch of Peru thrown in for good measure (sweet potato hash).
The pool deck at the Cameo Beverly Hills(Courtesy of Cameo Beverly Hills, LXR Hotels & Resorts)
Though a good option, Zampo’s restaurant and bar are not the only option. This is L.A., after all. I fill my three days and nights at the Cameo with a variety of new and old-school deliciousness all within a quick 15-minute ride: high-end sushi and seasonal omakase from the new West Hollywood outpost for James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole’s Uchi (9001 Santa Monica Blvd., Ste. 101); potato pancakes and matzo brei at Canter’s Deli on Fairfax; late night cocktails at the iconic vintage Formosa Cafe (7156 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood)… the list goes on.
It’s a satisfying whirlwind of a long weekend—romantic and breezy and oh so L.A.—but every affair eventually must come to an end. When the valet pulls up the car, I throw a last wistful look toward the gleaming tower and return north to the one I love most—the San Francisco Bay Area.
// Rates start around $350/night at Cameo Beverly Hills, LXR Hotels & Resorts, 1224 Beverwil Dr. (Los Angeles), hilton.com
Zampo Restaurant(Courtesy of Cameo Beverly Hills, LXR Hotels & Resorts)
