My journey and exploration of new creative spaces in the US begins with the brand-new Andaz West Hollywood. The hotel has undergone top-to-bottom renovations, transforming the famed 70′s Riot Hyatt into a travel retreat for business or pleasure – well, both for me. Andaz means ‘personal style’ in Hindi and the hotel in the eclectic West Hollywood is a new venture from the Hyatt brand, clearly committed to bring the latest in style, service and innovation to personalise your travel experience. I have decided to throw myself into the customs of any place I visit and am fully embracing the mentality to have fun and relax in West Hollywood which is said to be the place to see… and be seen!

Andaz service is indeed very personalised from the minute you step off the cab, you get greeted by one of the friendly hosts. At check-in, I get seated in the lounge with a drink in my hand which is much needed after hours of travelling from Sydney. My host Laura is organising everything at the tip of her fingers with a portable laptop, chatting away in front of me and I feel completely relaxed. There is a laid-back and funky ambiance in the lobby facing the busy Sunset Strip, and the transition into a lounge chair in my very own sun room of my hotel room on the 11th floor seems effortless.

The room is comfortable in all possible ways with a king size bed, healthy complimentary mini-bar, organic beauty products, sun room with lounge chairs facing a view of LA, flat screen TVs, iPod dock, wifi and work desk. The only thing one might want to complain about are the thin walls… However, I do like the cute wall art decked out by blik Anise by Ilan Dei as well as customised pieces. I enjoy the words of inspiration scattered all over the place from the room card keys with “Be Creative” and “Be Beautiful” to the little “…oops!” on the white eraser among the stationary. Whilst enjoying the spectacular although smoggy views of the City of Angels, I am psyched to discover one of my favourite quotes by Albert Einstein stuck onto the window in the backdrop of the LA skyline; “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious”.

Now, let’s get ready for dinner and drinks downstairs! RH at Andaz West Hollywood is a reference to “Riot House” which was the nickname for Hyatt during the rock ‘n’ roll days. The restaurant is modern with a casual fresh feel with an open kitchen, simplistic yet stylish interior. The food follows the same concept of simplicity and style. RH tries to use as much produce from the local area as possible such as the delicious starters of the oxnard farm heirloom tomatoes with goat cheese and the divine pergourdine poached egg, the truffles are imported however and so is the seared wild salmon which are not available in California. I also recommend the Colorado lamb chop and braised shoulder with eggplant, lemon confit and red pepper jus. Mmmm.. leave some room for the scrumptious walnut cake and don’t forget to try some of the cocktails.

Whilst the food might still be both of a hit and miss for different tastebuds, everything is beautifully presented and there is no doubt that this place has great ambiance even mid-week. I also enjoyed meeting the French-trained, Michelin Star Chef Sebastien Archambault and Manager Michele Payton for a friendly chat. They are both clearly taking pride and passion for the new restaurant. With the tables placed quite close to each other, I also found myself chatting to the next table – the friendly guy turned out to be the camera man of the TV series Two and Half Men and after having some sarcastic comments about the somewhat sexist tv show, I’m suddenly invited to the studio!

What a great first night in West Hollywood indeed and we wanted to shimmy up the Andaz rooftop as well in the balmy night but unfortunely it closes at 10pm on weeknights. I ventured up to the pool the next day instead to beat the heat but quickly learnt the first rule of Los Angeles pool scenes: look cool first and swimming comes second. Whilst everyone seemed busy soaking up cocktails and the fantastic views of the Hollywood Hills on one side and LA Downtown on the other side, I had a dip anyway. Mind you, I remained looking and feeling very cool… Ha!

Andaz is located at 8401 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California

Photos from Andaz West Hollywood & RH

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Yen Huynh, Creator of mecho | the style black book

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