Checking Out The W Hollywood Residences
There's no denying that the eastern swath of Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California has seen better days which means it's primed for a renaissance. The new $350 million W Hollywood Hotel & Residences project seems to be leading the way. The W Hollywood is plopped right onto a W Metro station giving a very New York urban feel to a project that is pure Southern California glitz on on the inside. We had the opportunity to check out the residences last week and snapped plenty of pictures of a glimpse at the new Hollywood.
The project is really two projects, a 305-room hotel and a 143 residence building and the feel in each is very different. The lobby of the W Hollywood is pure glamour all black leather couches, red accents with an impressive monolith of a bar at the back. But the residences themselves are calmer, discreet with a more restrained elegance. Enter the separate lobby and the concierge at the desk stands in greeting. The small lobby features a modest arrangement of couches flanked by bookshelves and a fresh carafe of cucumber water at the ready on a side table. Everything in this building is controlled through fob access. Security is tight, your fob allows you access to the building, your floor and public shared areas. Should you want to visit a friend on another floor, you'll need to get concierge approval. It's not a surprise that a young heartthrob or two has checked out this place. These are condo units not condo-hotel units and so the premium is on privacy and discretion.
One of the key features of the W Hollywood residences is what they call branded living. Basically it's all designed to give you the feeling of having whatever you need at your fingertips at any time. Stay in the W Hollywood hotel and you can get room service at any hour. Live at the W Hollywood Residences and you can pad down to Delphine's Bistro at 3 in the morning and hang out in the kitchen with the chef who will make you whatever you'd like. Break a nail first thing in the morning and a Bliss spa professional is at the ready to make it all better. Want to party like a rock star? Head on over to Drai's Hollywood, located a skybridge walk away from your dwelling, hang out all night around the pool in a private cabana or dance in the glammed up nightclub with the metallic couches and the Hollywood Blvd. views and then toddle on home without even having to venture outside your own turf (perhaps a good thing given the nature of the neighborhood). Concierges can also arrange anything your little heart desires. An urgent need to jet off to Vegas can be easily satisfied, the W Hollywood Residences have a standing contract with a charter service at the Santa Monica airport (luxuries like these are extra naturally).
Residents also get their own separate rooftop pool, a more quiet affair with shaded tables, sun-ready loungers and a view of downtown Los Angeles in the distance. There is also a residents only gym and adjacent to the gym will be a mini park with space to walk your dog. This is a building rich in details. The rugs in the elevators emblazoned with "good morning," "good afternoon," or "good evening" are changed three times a day to suit the hour.
Who requires this sort of treatment? Russ Felice, the Director of Residential Sales at the W Hollywood Residences said that the target demographic is 20-40, young, urban, fun-loving. These are apartments for the youthful jet set. Felice says that there is more than one buyer who is 18 years old, parents buying a delicious little investment for one lucky child.
There are around 40 different floorplans each with their own charms and views. Bigger isn't always better, it all depends on your lifestyle and what you like. The units themselves are customizable. The units shown were each designed by top designers including Barclay Butera but residents can bring in their own design teams.
The kitchens are Poliform and designed for entertaining with SubZero wine refrigerator units and refrigerators and dishwashers that blend in with the rest of the cabinets. These aren't kitchens for chefs, they are for those who want to open a few bottles of wine and maybe serve a catered meal or two. The homes all have expansive closets and sybaritic bathrooms. All units have balconies some with iconic views of the Hollywood sign and the Capitol Records building. The average square footage is around 1600 square feet and the largest ones are three-bedroom penthouses. For the most part these residences will be for those who want a Hollywood pad in addition to other residences in other places. Occupants should begin moving in within the next few weeks and there are plenty of units still on the market. Prices range from the high $500,000s to around $5 million.
