Beverly Hills Hotel turns upscale evacuation zone: ‘The vibe is apocalyptic’
At the Beverly Hills Hotel lobby Wednesday, there is an edge of anxiety mixed in with the upscale elegance.
Three preteen boys are scrambling around with their puppy as concerned adults stand by trying to check in and out of rooms. The boys are discussing the weather.
“It just looks like a regular day,” says one of the boys as he looks out the glass doors of the lobby into the blue sky and valet area, where a Bentley is pulling up. “You wouldn’t know there’s a huge fire. Doesn’t it just look like a regular day?”
Five people have died, more than 2,000 structures have burned and at least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders because of the wildfires burning across Los Angeles County. “We are absolutely not out of danger yet,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said.
On the other side of the hotel, however, to the north and west, the Palisades fire is still burning, sizzling thousands of acres of land and sending many Westside residents scrambling for housing as they evacuate their neighborhoods.
At the bottom of the Hollywood Hills, the lobby of the hotel has turned into an evacuation zone for some of Los Angeles’ most well-to-do residents.
“The vibe is apocalyptic,” says one woman who has evacuated with her sister and their dog from their Santa Monica home. She didn’t want to be named for privacy reasons. “The hotel has been incredible. They’ve made things feel like they’re not falling apart.
“It feels a little bit like the Titanic in here,” she says. “Everyone is acting normal but everything is falling apart outside.”
Five people have died, more than 2,000 structures have burned and at least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders because of the wildfires burning across Los Angeles County. “We are absolutely not out of danger yet,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said.
Then there are the dogs.
The hotel allows pets, and dogs are definitely in abundance Wednesday. They bark at each other as attendants push luggage across the room and ferry coffees and drinks to rooms upstairs.
Rewind to the previous night in the Polo Lounge. Masood Vojdani, a financial advisor, is trying to keep track of whether his house in the Pacific Palisades has burned down. He can’t tell — and he still does not know.
His house’s security cameras will no longer load; he had seen his neighbor’s house burning down on those cameras. He called 911 10 times and though he was told they would handle it, he didn’t see any firefighters on the camera.
He says he was surprised that he was able to get a room at the Beverly Hills Hotel when so many people are evacuating from the fires.
“I wanted a place that resembles my home. I’m already stressed out. Luckily, we got it and it’s my favorite spot,” he says.
“This many people leaving the Palisades at the same time? Where do they go? I don’t think they’re going to stay at the Holiday Inn,” he says.
Five people have died, more than 2,000 structures have burned and at least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders because of the wildfires burning across Los Angeles County. “We are absolutely not out of danger yet,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said.
Vojdani heard that 74 rooms were booked up at the hotel on Tuesday. Another hotel resident says she heard the hotel went from 40% full to entirely booked on Tuesday. The hotel itself did not immediately respond to queries about how many evacuees were guests.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathy are with everyone impacted by the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The safety and well-being of our guests and employees is our primary concern,” said Leslie Lefkowitz, a spokesperson for the hotel.
Another woman who spoke with The Times says she left her home in Brentwood on Tuesday to get a room at the hotel before it got booked up. She speaks while at dinner at the Polo Lounge with another family who has seen a video of their house burning down.
“Everyone is in disbelief and shock here,” she says. “I don’t feel like it’s normal. Everyone is asking us how we are and is aware we are evacuees. Usually the hotel has this big, vibrant energy, but now it’s quiet and sad and feels like everyone is commiserating.”
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