Mosaic Hotel in Beverly Hills is Chic and Affordable

by Courtney Caldwell

What comes to mind when you think of Beverly Hills, California? Swimming pools, movie stars, black gold…and hotels so expensive it's laughable.

Beverly Hills is about mansions, manicured lawns and mega millions. It's all that and more. It is not considered a playground for the rich and famous like Las Vegas, but rather home to the rich and famous…this is where they settle down and live. Expensive homes line long winding roads and hillsides are flanked with towering palm trees. And of course there are houses so large it's unimaginable to the average American what it must be like to live in one.

Tourists, easily distinguished from the locals by their baggy Bermudas, plaid shirts and straw hats, cameras dangling from their necks, crowd the small town streets snapping shots of everything that moves. They saunter into stores in awe, their mouths agape like a child at Disneyland, but only to look and touch because that's all they can do. Most items cost more than their plane tickets to California.

And that's just the side street shops. Rodeo Drive is saved for last, one of the most expensive avenues in the world just to walk, never mind shop. A Starbucks coffee in Beverly Hills costs $10.00, the same one on which you spend $2.50 just two towns away. It's all about location and it's all relative.

Even the Beverly Hills police station dominates a city block, standing more like another towering mansion with its perfectly coifed landscape. Sightseers arrive by the busload to take a gaggle of photos…yes, even of the police station. You may have caught a glimpse of it on the big screen -- think Beverly Hills Cop. That's about as close as most of us will ever get.

Adjacent to Rodeo is one of California's most historical and expensive hotels, the Beverly Wilshire, and just minutes down the road is the Beverly Hills Hilton known for not only its central location to Hollywood and Malibu but also famed for its many televised Hollywood awards shows and celebrations. And last there's the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset, neatly nestled at the end of a long sinewy driveway and shadowed by so much foliage it's invisible from the boulevard. This opulent pink landmark, dotted with private bungalows and swimming pools, is where many of the stars and wealthy gather. Some have yearlong arrangements even if they live in California. Must be tough.

With all this expense and excess, one must wonder how anyone can afford to stay in Beverly Hills...or why anyone would even want to. The reasons are simple: business and pleasure. California is a major commerce state and while it is home to the movie industry, there are also many other industries and businesses that are headquartered in and around Beverly Hills. California is a long, spread-out state with traffic so horrendous that it can take two hours to drive 20 miles in rush hour traffic. So staying at a hotel close to business dealings is a huge benefit. As for pleasure, well, California offers so much to see and do that one would be crazy not to take some time to take in a little of it.

The Mosaic's lobby area.

Yet the question begs "how could I possibly afford a hotel in Beverly Hills?" Unlike the large swanky hotels that suck your wallet dry, the Mosaic Hotel is one of Beverly Hills' best-kept secrets. Tucked away on a side street off Wilshire Boulevard, and in the heart of Beverly Hills -- 125 South Spalding Drive -- this small intimate luxury hotel is barely noticeable when you drive by. You have to look to find it. The Mosaic is not an ostentatious or opulent hotel in presentation like so many others in the area.

The Mosaic is quiet and quaint. Its façade is humble. It's the kind of hotel that serves the kind of person who prefers comfort and style, the subtle nuances that are meaningful. After all, there are those, whether rich or not, who need to be seen at hotels for the high and mighty because it fulfills a need to be recognized as powerful. And then there are those, rich or not, who seek a more obsequious hotel to fulfill a need of solitude and privacy. Their level of confidence and sense of security don't relegate them into the role of show and tell. They simply don't have the need.

While both types of hotels may offer first-class amenities, the Mosaic goes far beyond the expected. Recently opened, its chic environment feels more like a great home than it does a hotel featuring 49 high-end guest suites and rooms. In fact, so quaint and discrete that movie stars and famous artists have permanent rooms with assured availability and privacy every time they stay. Pets are allowed, but only up to 10 pounds or less and there is a small pet fee. There are four full suites, all of which overlook the outdoor pool and patio.

I sought the lobby upon arrival for check-in, but since nothing about the Mosaic is conventional or common, it simply was not there. Instead, there was a large mahogany desk at which two friendly souls sat. "Welcome to the Mosaic," said one as she stood to shake my hand.

There was fresh fruit and chilled champagne at a nearby table for the taking. High-back overstuffed chairs engulfed tiny cocktail tables, which overlapped from one room into the other providing a unique feng shui flow between the lounge, lobby and dining area. It was mesmerizing right down to the private lobby library designated for guests who preferred literary leisure in the center of Mosaic's beauty. This is the creation of the award-winning Dallas-based firm, Duncan & Miller Design, who are famous for their architecturally unique hotel designs.

Ahhhh, your new digs are lovely, aren't they?.

The rooms were amazing. It's no exaggeration to say that it felt like an overnight stay at a private home instead of a hotel -- right down to the nightstand clock. Nothing about the room and its décor was typical. Wooden shutters, wicker furniture, bamboo pens and more than 10 pillows decorated the bed…and those were just the first things I noticed upon entering.

One of the biggest issues that women face at hotels is bathroom lighting. It's either too dark or too bright. The Mosaic address both issues by offering dimmer switches in each bathroom leaving you with whatever desired ambiance you require. They also provide well-lit magnified make-up mirrors that are adjustable for the short and tall.

The heated outdoor pool and patio offer far more than an oasis for sun worshippers. Padded chaise chairs and tables encircle the pool for either business or pleasure. As the sun sets, candles transform the patio and pool into a cozy watering hole for carrying on deep conversations or just carrying on until wee hours.

French doors lead into the Mosaic's charming indoor dining and lounge area. Here, you'll find a southwestern motif of mosaic tiles covering a section of wall and encasing a large booth, hence the hotel's name. Dozens of wall-mounted candles light the tiles and soften the dining area with an elegant ambiance and warm glow as the California skies darken.

There are no words to adequately describe the quality, taste and presentation of my dinner. While I waited for the meal to arrive, the female bartender came over to visit. Her warmth and openness was so refreshing that she seemed more like a family member than an employee. After our brief chat, she returned with two hardcover books and placed them on my table, smiled and walked away. Ironically, they were subjects on which I had interest. I was truly impressed.

The Mosaic's restaurant.

The aromatic splendor that filled the petite dining room was truly intoxicating. My halibut dinner and bananas flambé dessert was the kind of meal that causes you to groan out loud and roll your eyes back with every bite. I didn't care who saw or heard. It was that good. I simply wanted to marry the chef.

The morning's continental breakfast, compliments of the management, was not the usual fair of fruit, cereal and toast. In fact, it was cold bananas flambé, hard-boiled eggs, exotic fruits, a variety of muffins and juices, fresh homemade whole-grain cereals, and flavored coffees. Hotel management seems to understand the nutritional needs of the busy traveler by getting them off to a healthy start. There was no need to stop at a restaurant along the way to my meeting. There was more than enough food for a full morning breakfast at the hotel. And if that's not enough, a full breakfast can be ordered from the breakfast menu.

An interview with general manager, Jeff Solenberger, revealed the Mosaic's mission. "Our mission is to create a wonderful memory for all of our guests, whether they stay with us for a few days, or visit us for a few hours. The Mosaic Hotel provides the pampering and privacy that only a hotel of our size can provide; a place to get away from it all, yet be only a few steps away for the very heart and soul of Beverly Hills."

And true it is. My three-day visit allowed me enough time to uncover any of the hotel's faults. There were none. The Mosaic offers a 24-hour fitness center, 24-hour room service and concierge, same day cleaning service, Frette sheets, towels and robes, Bulgari toiletries, private party events around a candle-lit pool, and a personalization like I've never seen in a hotel before. Even guest room doors were adorned with heads of Zeus-like doorknockers. "We're a relatively small hotel with a big level of service," Solenberger added.

Not only is the Mosaic conveniently located steps from Rodeo Drive, it is also only minutes for the 405 freeway, one of California's main north/south arteries along the coast. Hollywood is only a few miles east and the beaches are approximately 10 miles west. It's also a short drive from the Petersen Automotive Museum and LA's National Museum of History.

And for busy executives looking to keep up with their competition, the Mosaic also is across the street from one the nation's most respected and successful plastic surgeons, Dr. Paul Nassif, who makes regular guest appearances on Discovery's Health Channel. The Mosaic offers a discrete and secluded environment, in which to recuperate, which includes 'house calls' by the doctor and private nurse care during recovery.

The Mosaic has just about everything a traveler needs -- and what they don't have, they will go out and get for you. It's that kind of service that made the hotel a place in which I could live, or if money were no object, keep a room like the rich and eccentric, just to call my own on every visit. Needless to say I was enamored.

The Mosaic is a rare blend of luxury and intimacy. You just don't find treasures like this in most cities, especially not in cities like Beverly Hills where opulence and arrogance rule the roost.

The only challenge I found with the Mosaic was leaving. I just didn't want to part from my new digs.

By now you've probably guessed that a room at the Mosaic must cost about $500 a night, a small fee for a hotel room in Beverly Hills. The truth is that the Mosaic offers suites starting at $225 - with introductory rates starting at $199. There are also special packages available but you need to inquire.

Cobalt and candles...the hotel pool.

It's hard to believe you can get all this in Beverly Hills, but the Mosaic delivers. Hell, one of my meals was even delivered by hotel general manager Jeff Solenberger -- now that's the kind of service that wins hearts and convinces souls to return time after time.

If you're seeking the black gold of hotels among movie stars and swimming pools, look no further than the Mosaic. It's a gold miner's dream.

For more information or reservations, visit www.mosaichotel.com or call 310-278-0303. Get ready to moan and make your eyes roll!