At Bloomberg Pursuits, we love to travel. And we always want to make sure we’re doing it right. So we’re talking to globe-trotters in all of our luxury fields—food, wine, fashion, cars, real estate—to learn about their high-end hacks, tips, and off-the-wall experiences. These are the Distinguished Travel Hackers.
For Hollywood royalty, Sunset Tower Hotel is the place to escape. The art deco building, located on the Sunset Strip, is both glamorous and comfortable, marrying showbiz glitz with a warm, cozy vibe. Plus, the doormen put umbrellas in the paparazzi’s faces.
The tower’s owner, Jeff Klein, made it that way when he remodeled the 1929 landmark, an Old Hollywood remnant where John Wayne and Howard Hughes used to live. Klein brought the glow back, holding the legendary Vanity Fair Oscar party there until 2013, and contenders continue to make it a hub every awards season, even though Klein himself isn’t a fan. “I hate Oscar week so much,” he says. “It’s the worst week of the year. I just pace myself. You’ve got to understand that you’re running a marathon, and you cannot crash.”
Klein hits the road about every other weekend, researching what does and doesn’t work in the hospitality industry as he renovates his second property, San Vicente Bungalows—an “oasis” in the middle of West Hollywood—to open next year. Here’s his travel advice:
Always pack Clorox wipes
“I’m such a germaphobe. Clorox has these travel packs, and I take a couple with me everywhere I go. I wipe down the whole hotel room because you don’t know who was in the room before you, and if they were sick. That’s one reason people always end up getting sick on vacation. You could touch a light switch of somebody who had the flu, and then you touch your eye, and you’ve got it, brother.”
Beware of over-the-top amenities
“We try to speak very directly to our market at Sunset Tower. The reality is, my customer is me. I don’t want some fancy ridiculous dessert that’s delivered on a sword. I just want a delicious hot fudge sundae or a piece of chocolate cake. It’s sophisticated, but clean and simple. We have a make-your-own-sundae as a dessert, and you check off these little boxes if you want vanilla ice cream or chocolate or strawberry, and then if you want chocolate sauce, and if you want peanut M&Ms or caramel popcorn on top of that, or if you want bananas in there, strawberries. And the guests just love it.”
Know what to schedule …
“Restaurants and hotels are mapped out months in advance. I do major research. I’m calling people whose opinions I respect, or e-mailing them, and looking online. I research the hotels and restaurants I’m going to, because that’s my business, and I don’t want to leave it up to chance if I can get in.”