In LA, A Hotel-Condo Hybrid Presages the Future of Urban Luxury Living

Pendry Residence WeHo is the crown jewel of the Sunset Strip’s recent renaissance

January 29, 2021 1:33 pm
In LA, A Hotel-Condo Hybrid Presages the Future of Urban Luxury Living
Montage Hotels and Resorts

The dream of living in a hotel has hit most people more than once. Whether it’s hearing about celebrities shacking up at Chateau Marmont for weeks on end, rewatching Home Alone 2 or the simple satisfaction of having your room cleaned every day, the idea of spending life in a mode of full-time elegance and on-call service has a special appeal. Still, it’s hard to think of a year that has established the importance of home more than 2020, so West Hollywood’s latest luxe condo option seeks to provide home-buyers in Los Angeles with the best of both worlds.  

A new venture called Pendry Residence WeHo — an offering from Alan Fuerstman’s Orange County-based Montage Hotels and Resorts — is just down the street from the legendary Chateau, and gives Angelenos the chance to make themselves at home on the iconic Sunset Strip by investing in real estate instead of racking up an extravagant hotel bill. While Montage has already established Pendry hotels in places like San Diego, New York, Chicago and DC, their latest flagship in West Hollywood is the brand’s only L.A. location, and comes with 40 separate residence units available for sale, too. 

Tina Necrason, an executive VP at Montage specializing in residential developments, says she foresees the Sunset Strip being revitalized as a new hub of sophistication in the city, drawing on the area’s historic roots. “There is a renaissance happening on the Sunset Strip,” Necrason tells InsideHook. “The Strip is poised to become a new center of modern luxury in Los Angeles. This storied location, at the heart of so many cultural movements, has an energy all its own. Music, film art, and food — many of the world’s icons have sprung from this stretch of Los Angeles.” 

Montage Hotels and Resorts

Necrason has a point. For those who aren’t as familiar, “The Strip” is essentially a one-and-a-half-mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood. Technically, it begins at Havenhurst Drive/Marmont Lane (the small, winding road leading up to Chateau Marmont) and ends at Doheny Road/Phyllis Street, which marks the beginning of Beverly Hills. Situated at the corner of Sunset and Olive Drive, the new Pendry compound is nestled right in the middle of the historic strip, neighboring sought-after attractions like Saddle Ranch Chop House, The Comedy Store and the Chateau, all while maintaining a sense of privacy for residences: it’s on the quieter side of the street, and tucked away behind the hotel and the bustle of Sunset.  

For Angelenos who are looking to invest in the city’s infamously expensive real estate, why move out to Pasadena or another exurb when you can get the highest possible level of amenities while being footsteps from everything the city has to offer? A yard? While setups like the Pendry might not appeal to everyone, it’s a lifestyle that appeals to a growing demographic of worldly urban elites.

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This isn’t the first time a Pendry property has included attached residences; outposts in Park City, Utah, and Natirar, New Jersey, are also formatted this way, but their plan for West Hollywood is even more all-encompassing than what’s been built in the past. 

Aside from the 149 hotel rooms, several Wolfgang Puck-helmed dining concepts, a spa, rooftop pool and bar, the Pendry compound will also house a social club called The Britely that puts it in good company right near other successful private clubs in the area like the women-focused co-working space The Wing, LA’s original Soho House location and WeWork’s looming outpost on San Vicente. Owners of Pendry Residences in WeHo will automatically be granted a membership at The Britely, but since there’s steep competition in the area when it comes to perks like these, The Pendry has also set up a special collaboration with luxury car company McLaren for one owner. 

While all the residence units include designated parking, private lobby access and elevator entry, a particular two-story penthouse suite comes with an almost 1,800-square-foot private gated garage called “The Show Room.” Whoever purchases the residence in tandem with this garage — a combination that comes with a hefty $16 million price tag — will additionally receive a one-year lease of McLaren’s latest exclusive 765LT supercar. In one of the most driving-centric cities in the world, this kind of buyer’s perk is a clever way to turn heads fast. The garage itself can store up to five cars, has its own private washroom, and even comes with a design allowance to decorate the space as the owner sees fit. 

Montage Hotels and Resorts

Roger Ormisher, a VP of Communications and PR for McLaren, says that he envisions the consumer who is most drawn to this unusual collaboration will be a “true automotive enthusiast who has an extensive collection of cars and uses them regularly.” From Ormisher’s perspective, sports car collectors need a space at home to safely store and care for their cars. “Most of our owners love driving and really use their supercars, many on a day-to-day basis,” Ormisher said. “Having a space at home where they can house their collection and access it easily makes it a natural extension of their lifestyle. Many owners have multiple McLaren’s that they enjoy as part of their main recreation.”

If details like a free McLaren don’t appeal, then other 24-hour amenities like security, housekeeping, concierge and dining make The Pendry sound like a great place to call home in a world that’s still quarantining for the near future. Modern living has already substantially revamped the idea of a single-family home, and all but replaced it with the ease and convenience of condo life, especially in larger cities like L.A. Pendry units come with plenty of outdoor space, killer views, and if you’ve got extra deep pockets, one extremely exclusive luxury car. 

Pendry West Hollywood is slated to open in early 2021. Get more info here.

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