The Pâtisserie
From 7am to 2pm: croissants, cakes and coffee to take into the garden before the pool opens.
Hotel Bel-Air
Hotel Bel-Air, in Stone Canyon in the hills of Bel-Air, Los Angeles, opened in 1946 around a lake: you arrive over a footbridge above the swans of Swan Lake, in 12 acres of gardens.
A week here, month by monthFor a Los Angeles stay built around the pool and spa, the Bel-Air has nights from $1,041, the lowest price any seller showed on Google for one night. If you want to explore the city on foot, choose a more central base.
The Restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air: hours, menu, prices and dress code Official site Hotel Bel-Air spaWould you go?
Keep it among your hotels and see it on the budget globe, month by month.Our verdict
In 1946 the Texan hotelier Joseph Drown bought 18 acres from Alphonzo Bell, the founder of Bel-Air, his old estate office included, and opened the hotel on 24 August; he added Swan Lake. Grace Kelly came back often and now has a suite in her name; Marilyn Monroe posed by the pool for Vogue. Since 2008 the hotel has belonged to the Dorchester Collection, which closed it from 2009 to 2011 for a $100 million restoration by Alexandra Champalimaud and the Rockwell Group, adding 12 suites on the canyon.
Nearly all 103 rooms open onto the gardens, with no corridors. The oval pool, 23 by 10 metres, is heated to 27.8 °C all year and open from 8am to 6pm to hotel guests; the spa, a Forbes Five-Star, works with Valmont from 9am to 7pm. For meals there is The Restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air, without Wolfgang Puck since 2023, then the Bar & Lounge with its piano and afternoon tea in The Living Room, Friday to Sunday.
Guests love the quiet and the staff. On Google the hotel scores 4.7 out of 5 from 2,555 reviews, on Tripadvisor 4.7 from 894, and the MICHELIN Guide gives it 3 Keys. Parking is valet only, at $70–75 a day, and 16.2% tax is added to the rate.
We read the 500 most recent Google reviews with text and counted who talks about what: 95% of those who write about the setting are happy, 89% of those who mention the service. Taxes and extras added to the rate recur in reviews, and some guests say the Bel-Air is worth the money. The hotel’s Google listing also carries reviews of the Polo Lounge, which is at The Beverly Hills Hotel: one guest owns up, “Correction: Beverly Hills Hotel, not Hotel Bel Air”.
One Lume
Lumina Guide 2027
Gives more than the other hotels of its place and price range.
Hotel Bel-Air, in Stone Canyon in the hills of Bel-Air, Los Angeles, opened in 1946 around a lake: you arrive over a footbridge above the swans of Swan Lake, in 12 acres of gardens.
How Lumi are awardedGuests
500 reviews read: the location pleases more than 9 guests in 10 who mention it, breakfast 9 in 10.
Critics (exceptional)
Ours
Nearly all 103 rooms open onto the gardens with no corridors, the canyon suites have fireplaces and plunge pools, and the Forbes Five-Star spa works with Valmont: that is what we found in the hotel’s own pages.
Our reading, point by point
What we found reading the hotel’s own pages, one thing at a time.
Location
Stone Canyon, quiet and green, but you walk nowhere: Beverly Hills is 9 minutes by car.
Character
From 1946, with Swan Lake, its swans and Grace Kelly’s suite; 3 MICHELIN Keys.
Rooms
20 categories from 40 to 210 m²; fireplaces and plunge pools in the canyon suites.
Food and social life
The restaurant from 7am to 10pm, the bar with its piano, tea in The Living Room; the Bel-Air Breakfast is $41.
Wellness
A Forbes Five-Star spa, a pool heated to 28 °C all year, a gym open 24 hours.
The stay as a whole
From $1,112 a night plus 16.2% tax; breakfast, à la carte, and valet parking from $70 a day are extra.
What makes it rare
A badge is an experience travellers look for, that is really here and that few hotels in the guide have.
A story inside
Here: from 1946, with Swan Lake, its swans and Grace Kelly’s suite.
A history that goes back to at least 1946. 31 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badge
The 5 things that matter, as guests tell them
What do Hotel Bel-Air’s guests say? They write it in their reviews, even those who only came for a drink or dinner: we read every one and tell the 5 things that matter, from the location to the bill.
Location
Nearly every guest who mentions it is happy with it. Guests write about Stone Canyon, the greenery and the quiet inside a vast city, with Beverly Hills 10 minutes away by car.
Room
8 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Guests describe spacious, quiet rooms with a fireplace and a patio on the garden, and the feel of an old Hollywood bungalow.
Staff and service
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. The staff are what guests remember: the front desk, the concierges and the valets, often named one by one, and the touches left in the room for a birthday.
Breakfast
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Breakfast is ordered à la carte, from 7am at the restaurant above the lake, in the room or at the Pâtisserie: the Bel-Air Breakfast is $41.
Price
Rates start at $970 a night; tax, valet parking from $70 a day and breakfast, à la carte, come on top.
Where Hotel Bel-Air leads
- Staff and service
On staff and service it shares first place with The Peninsula Beverly Hills among the 6 hotels compared in Los Angeles.
- Breakfast
On breakfast it comes ahead of the 5 other hotels it is compared with in Los Angeles.
The numbers, and how we count them
| What | Score out of 10 | Guests who mention it | Happy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | 8.6 | 84 | 95% |
| Room | 7.2 | 53 | 75% |
| Staff and service | 8.3 | 276 | 89% |
| Breakfast | 8.0 | 21 | 90% |
| Price | – | 53 | 34% |
The scores come from 500 Google reviews with text, left from 16 July 2019 to 3 October 2026. The other hotels are the ones weighed for a stay in Los Angeles: for each we read its latest 500 Google reviews with text, or all of them where there are fewer, as of 4 October 2026. The score is the average of what they say, from 0 if they speak of it very badly to 10 if they speak of it very well. Where only a few mention something, the score stays close to the guide’s average: a handful of voices does not make a reputation.
The hotels we weigh it against in Los Angeles:
- The Beverly Hills Hotel
- The Peninsula Beverly Hills
- Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
- Beverly Wilshire
- Four Seasons Los Angeles
Price: for two on the night of 1 December 2026, from $1,041 (seen on Google Hotels on 13 October 2026).
What a night costs, season by season
The calendar read on 13 October 2026 shows individual nights from $1,041 in the run from 29 November to 9 December 2026, while 9 July to 28 August 2027 runs from $1,366 to $1,745. I would start with the late-November dates when choosing a stay around the price.
| Period | Dollars a night |
|---|---|
| 14 Oct 2026–2 Feb 2027 | 983–1,945 |
| 3 February to 8 July 2027 | 1,035–3,000 |
| 9 July to 28 August 2027 | 1,366–1,745 |
| 29 August to 8 September 2027 | 1,106–1,285 |
The lowest price any seller showed on Google Hotels for one night searched separately for 2 adults, read on 13 October 2026; room and meal plan unspecified. The calendar ends on 8 September 2027; 4 January is a lone night at $983, and 31 December is $1,848. Booked as 7 nights from 16 to 23 November 2026, the lowest seller Google listed that day asked $1,153 a night; the hotel’s own listing, $1,202.
Hotel Bel-Air or The Beverly Hills Hotel
Choose the Bel-Air for a stay around its pool and spa, with a car for outings. The Beverly Hills Hotel puts you on Sunset Boulevard, with Will Rogers Park 3 minutes away and Rodeo Drive a 24–29-minute walk.
| Hotel | A night, from |
|---|---|
| Hotel Bel-Air | $1,097 |
| The Beverly Hills Hotel | $947 |
Lowest individual-night price in 16–22 November 2026, searched for 2 adults on Google Hotels; read on 13 October 2026.
The gardens, the restaurant terrace, Swan Lake, lunch by the pool and the Bell Suite
The flight over the pink roofs to the oval pool, the restaurant terrace under its pergola at midday, a swan on Swan Lake, a salad by the pool and the Bell Suite’s living room with its fireplace.
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What to expect
The morning Pâtisserie, the oval pool, the restaurant under its arches, the bar with its fire, the spa and tea in The Living Room.
The oval pool
23 by 10 metres, heated to 27.8 °C all year, 8am to 6pm for hotel guests only; it was once a riding ring.
The restaurant
Breakfast, lunch and dinner above Swan Lake; the tortilla soup has been on the menu since 1980.
The Bar & Lounge
Adults only, the fire, a grand piano and live music every evening, from 3pm to 11pm, 1am at weekends.
The spa
7 treatment rooms and the private Enclave, 9am to 7pm; the Signature massage costs $275 for 60 minutes.
Tea in The Living Room
Friday to Sunday from 3pm: $140 with Moët champagne, $195 with Krug.
Good to know before you book
Breakfast is not included and is à la carte; on top of the rate come 16.2% tax and valet parking, $70 a day per the FAQ, “from $75” on the overview page.
The pool and gym are for hotel guests only; outsiders can book spa treatments, or pay for membership: $5,200 a year, with the pool Monday to Thursday.
Up to 2 dogs are allowed, for $150 a stay; on weight the site gives 2 limits, 20 kg on the overview page and under 7 kg in the FAQ.
Wolfgang Puck left the restaurant on 31 March 2023: Expedia, Booking and Tripadvisor still mention him.
Rooms and suites
Getting here
From Sunset Boulevard you drive about half a mile up Stone Canyon Road; the car goes to the valet, before the bridge over Swan Lake.
| LAX | 26 minutes without traffic (OpenStreetMap); the hotel says 30, Forbes Travel Guide 22–35. |
|---|---|
| Burbank | 32 minutes without traffic, 30 km. |
| House car | Free from 8am to 9pm within 3 miles: as far as The Beverly Hills Hotel and Century City. |
| Check-in | From 3pm, check-out at noon; until 4pm costs 50% of the night. |
Times computed on OpenStreetMap’s roads on 4 October 2026; hours from the official pages read the same day.
Beyond the hotel
On foot you reach only UCLA; the Getty, Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica are a drive, 10 to 19 minutes without traffic.
Royce Hall, UCLA
The nearest walk: 27 minutes on foot, 2 km, through the campus.
Getty Center
The museum on the Brentwood hill: 12 minutes by car without traffic.
Hammer Museum
UCLA’s contemporary art museum in Westwood: 48 minutes on foot, a few by car.
Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills’ boutiques: 10 minutes by car without traffic.
Santa Monica Pier
The nearest seafront: 19 minutes by car without traffic.
From Hotel Bel-Air to UCLA and Westwood
The hotel in Stone Canyon, Royce Hall at UCLA, the Hammer Museum, the Getty and The Beverly Hills Hotel. Tap a place to see the route.
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Recommended for you
A day at Hotel Bel-Air
On arrival
Cross into the hotel
Leave the car with the valet, then take the bridge over Swan Lake.
7am
Coffee in the garden
Take coffee and a croissant from The Pâtisserie into the garden before the pool opens.
8am
Swim in the oval
Start the day in the oval pool, heated all year and reserved for hotel guests.
The afternoon
Make time for spa
The Spa at Hotel Bel-Air has a relaxation lounge and separate steam rooms, and stays open until 7pm.
Dinner
Dine above the lake
Settle into The Restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air for dinner above Swan Lake.
Hotel Bel-Air reviews
Platform scores and what guests say: the quiet, the price, a low-season rate and a dinner without staying.
Scores read on 4 October 2026
Google2,555 reviews4.7/5
Tripadvisor894 reviews4.7/5
Booking.com57 reviews9.6/10
Expedia438 reviews9.8/10Guest voices
From the hotel’s Google listing, in 2026: quiet 10 minutes from Beverly Hills, the price once tax is added, a low-season rate and the restaurant, even just for dinner.
GoogleAway from the noise, close to it all
Gardens everywhere, a peaceful, private atmosphere far from the city’s traffic, with Beverly Hills and Westwood about 10 minutes away.
Google · May 2026Read the review
GoogleThe price with tax
They advertise a room at a little over $1,000, a guest writes, but with tax and the rest the figure grows, for a modest-sized room; still worth it, he adds, every time.
Google · April 2026Read the review
GoogleA rate found during the works
One guest found a rate within reach in the low season while works were under way: the character of the place, he writes, was intact.
Google · July 2026Read the review
GoogleThe front desk and the restaurant
A local found the front desk unhelpful, even rude, with the lobby empty; the restaurant staff, though, were top tier.
Google · September 2026Read the review
GoogleJust for dinner
Came only for dinner: exceptional service, delicious food, a tranquil, private setting.
Google · September 2026Read the review
Questions before you go
Sources read on 4 October 2026.
How much does a night at Hotel Bel-Air cost?
Google Hotels, read on 13 October 2026 for 2 adults, showed a bookable run from 29 November to 9 December at $1,041–$1,093 for individual nights. Dated examples are $1,071 on 24 November 2026, $1,069 on 8 December and $1,112 on 6 January 2027. In the earlier reading of 4 October 2026, the individual night of 10 November was $1,217 before tax on the Google calendar and $1,292 before tax on the hotel’s own site. Breakfast is not included.
Is breakfast included?
No: it is à la carte, in the restaurant from 7 to 11am, in the room at any hour or at The Pâtisserie; the Bel-Air Breakfast costs $41 and coffee $12. Google Hotels lists a buffet the hotel does not serve. The Bed & Breakfast offer, from $1,005, gives a $110 daily credit.
Is Wolfgang Puck still at Hotel Bel-Air?
No. The partnership ended on 31 March 2023 after 11 years; the dining room is now The Restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air. Expedia, Booking.com and Tripadvisor still refer to a “Wolfgang Puck” restaurant.
What is the spa at Hotel Bel-Air like?
It is called The Spa at Hotel Bel-Air, works with Valmont products and holds a Forbes Five-Star rating. It has 7 treatment rooms and The Enclave, a private space of about 570 sq ft with 2 treatment beds, a marble tub and a shaded patio, plus separate men’s and women’s steam rooms, a nail suite, a salon and a relaxation lounge. It is open from 9am to 7pm; the gym is open 24 hours to hotel guests. The spa’s shared facilities are for over-18s.
Can non-guests use the pool or the spa?
The pool, no: it is for hotel guests only, from 8am to 6pm. The spa, yes, for treatments, from 9am to 7pm; the Signature massage costs $275 for 60 minutes. To use the pool as well you need membership: $5,200 a year, $10,200 for a couple, with the pool Monday to Thursday.
Is the pool heated?
Yes, to 27.8 °C all year. It is oval, 23 by 10 metres, 3 metres deep according to the hotel, open from 8am to 6pm; poolside food is served from 8am to 4pm, with the 19% service charge already in the prices. No cabanas are published.
How many swans live on Swan Lake?
4, according to Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure: Hercules, Athena, Odette and Chloe. You see them from the entrance bridge, from the restaurant’s alcoves and from the Swan Lake Suite. No source says whether they may be fed; the MICHELIN Guide says they eat romaine lettuce.
How far are LAX and Beverly Hills?
LAX is 23.6 km away, 26 minutes without traffic (OpenStreetMap, 4 October 2026); the hotel says 30 minutes. The Beverly Hills Hotel is 9 minutes by car, Rodeo Drive 10, the Getty 12. Everything outside the hotel is a drive away, as Forbes Travel Guide warns.
How much is parking at Hotel Bel-Air?
Valet only: $70 a day in the FAQ, “from $75” on the overview page, both read on 4 October 2026. For diners the hotel publishes no rate; OpenTable gives $15 with validation.
Does Hotel Bel-Air allow dogs?
Yes: up to 2, $150 a stay, house-trained, on a lead outside the room and never left alone. The weight limit depends on the page: 20 kg on the overview, under 7 kg in the FAQ. Sites promising dogs of any size, even left alone in the room, are wrong.
Is it good for children?
Yes: children of any age, free cots, an extra bed at $35 a night. Until 31 December 2026 the Family Time offer takes up to 50% off a second connecting room and gives $150 of breakfast a day; 2 connecting Deluxe rooms start at $1,775 a night. At the pool under-16s need an adult; the bar is adults only.
Can you hold a wedding at Hotel Bel-Air?
Yes: the ceremony on Swan Lake, with its gazebo, the reception on the Front Lawn, up to 280 seated per the website, or in the Garden Ballroom, 220. Prices are not published; the whole hotel, 103 rooms, can be booked for exclusive use.
What happens on New Year’s Eve?
For 2026 the hotel has published only its festive rate, 22 November to 8 January, rooms from $1,445. Last year the restaurant served 2 sittings: à la carte from 5 to 7.30pm, then a 5-course menu with a toast at $395 a head, $95 for children.
Is Hotel Bel-Air open all year?
Yes, and no closure is announced for late 2026. Google Hotels shows prices for nearly every night to August 2027; its calendar does not reach September 2027 yet. The last long closure ran from 2009 to 2011, for the restoration.
Is it cheaper to book direct?
Usually the same as or better than the big agencies: for 5 October 2026 the hotel’s site and Booking.com asked $1,275, Expedia $1,520; Super.com was lower, at $1,190. Booking direct brings the best-rate guarantee and offers such as a fourth night free. Cancellation is free until noon the day before.
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