“Uh-oh,” I think, as I watch my 9-year-old daughter glide into the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, pigtails swinging and a bright pink American Girl Doll shopping bag clutched in each hand.
She could get used to this.
The doorman holds the door for her and smiles. “Hello, American Girl!” he says brightly. My daughter perks up and smiles coyly as she saunters through the entrance.
Like I said: Uh-oh.
What to Expect: Luxury, Chauffeurs, and AG Swag
I’ve been on my share of press trips with my kids. We’ve been lucky enough to visit some pretty fancy hotels and amazingly quirky vacation rentals. But this trip—a one-night stay that included an American Girl shopping outing and a hotel room outfitted for both daughter and doll? This was next-level. At least for my doll-loving daughter.
The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills’ American Girl Experience is, in tween-speak, an OMG overnight where kids and their dolls can have a swag-soaked sleepover at, basically, the swankiest hotel on the West Side. The package includes an overnight stay in a deluxe room, complete with an American Girl Doll bed, a doll robe, and a pair of teeny slippers (and you can take it all home!). Also included is a themed welcome amenity and a chauffeured ride to and from the nearby American Girl store at the Westfield Century City Mall for a guided shopping experience.
One important detail: The doll itself is not included in the package, so make sure your child brings her own or decide on a budget beforehand—before you face the inevitable minefield of “I want” that will erupt when your child gets to the aforementioned AG Doll mecca. Because trust me: Going into the American Girl store with your child and leaving without a doll (or doll accessory) is like going to Target and only buying what you came for. Possible? Maybe. Probable? Definitely not.
The Guided Shopping Experience
The included “guided shopping experience” at the American Girl store might sound chi-chi, but it’s actually something that’s offered to the public by reservation (you can find it under “Personal Shoppers” on the American Girl website). What the hotel adds is a VIP touch, setting up everything for you, including arranging the chauffeured ride (make sure to call ahead to secure this, as availability can vary).
When we arrived at the store, our personal shopper introduced herself and then whisked my daughter up and down the aisles, sharing fun facts about the dolls and their extensive accessories, which range from gymnastics equipment to a menagerie of pets.
There’s no pressure to buy anything, but like I said, getting out without a purchase requires serious parental prowess.
The Hotel
The 12-story Waldorf Beverly Hills opened in 2017 and is often called one of the top hotels in Los Angeles, if not the United States.
When we pulled into the hotel’s driveway, a quiet inlet nestled between Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards, we were met by a line of luxury SUVs that looked more like a presidential motorcade than a hotel car line. My Subaru was definitely a glitch in this matrix. Still, my daughter and I felt like royalty as two separate bellhops hurried out to take our bags from the cluttered trunk of my Mom car.
The hotel features 119 deluxe rooms and 51 suites, all of which are spacious (starting at 537 square feet and going up to the 3,215-square-foot Presidential Suite). Every room has panoramic windows and a large balcony with sweeping views of either Beverly Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains or the bustle of Century City. The hotel also boasts a rooftop pool and outdoor restaurant that Conde Nast called “one of the best rooftop bars and restaurants in the city.”
American Girl or not, every guest gets her own concierge, available by text. And there are plush robes, top-of-the-line bath products, and Nespresso machines in all rooms.
Of course, all this luxury comes at a price. Rooms start at about $912 per night, with the AG package adding around $300 to that.
The Room:
Our deluxe room had two queen beds, spaced far enough apart for my daughter to jump wildly through the air between them (because don’t kids always do that at hotels?). The beds were immaculate and soft, and the American Girl swag was laid out neatly on one bed, sending my daughter into a flurry of doll-bed making, something she never does with her actual human-sized bed.
The room also had a large marble bathroom with a full bathtub, a separate shower, and a bidet-equipped toilet. A large desk doubled as a game table, and a private balcony offered a view of the world below and the nearby Hollywood Hills. Thoughtful touches like wall shelves filled with art books and kid-sized slippers alongside the grown-up ones reminded me that this wasn’t just any hotel.
If you couldn’t guess, I’m not usually a Waldorf kind of girl.
But… I could get used to this.
To find out more about the Waldorf Astoria’s American Girl Experience, go to Waldorfastoriabeverlyhills.com/offers/american-girl-experience/
Editor’s note: The writer was given a complimentary stay at this hotel, but the opinions expressed in this story are her own.