How Hollywood Event Planners Create Unforgettable Guest Experiences

The Hollywood event business is back in its upscale style, but as guest expectations evolve, planners are now tasked with adjusting their playbooks to create an equally positive experience for all comers.

These accommodations take many forms—from welcoming guests of varying abilities, to serving food that satisfies the wide-ranging dietary restrictions of attendees, to serving upscale, upscale non-alcoholic beverages and noise-free bars, to creating quiet areas for guests who need the lesser senses stimulated.

Everyone agrees that effective client communication and proactive preparation are what set events apart.

“The answer is never,” says Jacqueline Cryan, senior event manager at Botanical Hospitality Group, the company behind the EP & LP in West Hollywood (where Apple TV+ celebrated Loot) and Grandmaster Recorders in Hollywood. The menus are all adaptable. “We realize that everyone has a choice, and there are many different ways we can change menus.”

“Veganism has moved into the mainstream,” says Gina Wade, head of special events at the Aster Hotel in Hollywood. Gluten-free requests are expected to be accommodated; For a seated dinner, Wade expects to provide a spreadsheet of dietary restrictions, allergies, and preferences up front.

“Holiday parties are looking smaller this year,” she says, and customers might book a four-course dinner with wine pairings instead of a big blast. “Because we’ve been in the house for so long, people want conversations, they want interaction and people want an intimate experience with well-curated food.”

Creative dining design accompanies custom menus at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles. “There are kid-friendly combos for adult food stations with whimsical touches,” says Jennifer Rebelo, catering director. Tater Tots served on tiny trees and fruit carts and elaborate desserts with pops of color for a matinee are two modern examples of the hotel’s famous fairytale detail.

Enhanced non-alcoholic drinks also take the spotlight. “We make sure we have top-notch options, from mixers to vegan cocktails,” says Cryan of the alcohol-free beverage trend. “The premise is that guests shouldn’t feel any different from everyone else at the event, just enjoying another option.”

“People want to feel and look like they’re having a drink but they’re not having a ‘drink,’” echoes Eric Weiner, senior director of event sales for SLS Beverly Hills. Corporate events at SLS these days often start with a signature mocktail rather than a spirited mocktail, he finds out.

Upstairs from the Heimat on La Brea Avenue (a new, next-level gym and club house from the RSG Group), it’s a 5,000-square-foot space in pink and blue. Mother Tongue from Chef Michael Mina serves zero-grade passion fruit margaritas. The hero ingredient is tequila spirit from Free Spirits, which has created an entire line of non-alcoholic bourbons, gins, and other pours. It’s just one of the home-cooked non-alcoholic drinks at Al Afia Restaurant.

Outdoor seating in Mother Tongue is multicolored and ready for every season; The new restaurant joins a growing list of stylish indoor/outdoor venues. Aster Hotel offers the Hollywood deck on the sixth floor and the Lemon Grove restaurant patio (open to non-members). In downtown Los Angeles, the Conrad Los Angeles lobby, terrace, and San Laurel restaurant are framed by views of Frank Gehry’s famous Walt Disney Concert Hall.

“It’s such an amazing experience looking out over the skyline, just soaking up that vibrancy,” says Stephanie Levitt, Conrad Los Angeles’ director of sales and marketing for the hotel’s eighth-floor spaces, which can be transformed to fit events. For the LA Phil’s party, the entire eighth floor and pool deck of the hotel became the after-party site for 350 people.

“We’ll take any idea, jump in and try it,” she says of the luxury hotel’s event staff’s willingness to test the limits of traditional event spaces.

Activations, food service, and flow are reviewed at both the macro and micro levels for fair guest experiences, says Marisa Kirsch, vice president of brand and experiential at 15 | 40 Prods. , reflecting the evolution of the industry when it comes to inclusivity. The company produced Party on the Pier in November for UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, creating an event where inclusivity means every guest can participate in a day of games and boardwalk rides. Hollywood event planners keep adapting and are limited only by imagination.

Check out Los Angeles’ new and relevant event spaces to host intimate to grand events:

Downtown Los Angeles
Conrad Los Angeles

The impressive Frank Gehry architecture makes the 305-room Conrad Los Angeles an Instagram-worthy look. The modern Grand Park Ballroom is the newest in town. Dedicated elevator bank goes directly to the 8th floor ballroom and outdoor terrace. Four interconnecting conference rooms are accessed through their own foyer. Food and beverages are handled by the Jose Andres Group, which also oversees the hotel’s vibrant restaurants, San Laurel and the all-outdoor Agua Viva. Presidential Suites double as bookable venues with outdoor terraces for meetings or dining for up to 15 people.

100 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles

Hollywood
aster

Members-only Aster officially launched in July near Hollywood and Vine. There are many event spaces and possibilities within the six-story building including the rooftop bar lounge and Lemon Grove restaurant (open to the public) with Chef Marcel Vigneron at the helm. There is a 35-room boutique hotel (open to non-members), a 40-seat luxury cinema, and a club lounge nearby for post-show or pre-show events. There is also a fully equipped cabaret room with stage, green room and professional sound and lighting systems.

1717 Vine Street, Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles
Native language

Mother Tongue’s versatile outdoor porch has been transformed into a greenhouse for the launch of Katy Perry’s De Soi – her line of non-alcoholic sparkling appetizers. The pairing of the product line and website made perfect sense as the mother tongue (at the helm of their own Heimat club and gym) specializes in a fitness menu of healthy and natural ingredients. A permanent awning and built-in heat lamps make the patio and bar mostly weatherproof; Pink kiosks and aquamarine tiles add to the tropical vibe.

960 N. La Brea Ave. 4th Floor, Los Angeles

Neighboring Beverly Hills
Garden Room and Terrace at SLS Hotel

This space is a bright indoor/outdoor suite with tile floors, plenty of natural light, oversized mirrors, and a remote controlled ceiling recesses. It is fully climate controlled, and space is required for its flexibility and indoor/outdoor flow. There is a separate entrance off the valet so guests can skip the hotel lobby. The hotel is currently undergoing a revamp of its public spaces: a recent highlight is the Wasp and the Wig, a hidden bar with a laid-back vibe. The all-white Albert Ballroom and conference rooms on the hotel’s first floor open onto a balcony for more outdoor space.

465 S. La Cienega Street, Los Angeles

Beverly Hills
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura

On the street made for swanky views, Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura takes food and decor to exclusive heights above the Gucci store. The show’s interior design evokes a magnificent Italian villa. There is abundant greenery too, and the roof opens when the weather permits. The cuisine, from Chef Matai Agazi, is as rare as the décor. Standout dishes are ensalata di mare and a playful ‘pizza’ of camouflage risotto. The innovative desserts and breads are all made in-house; The wine list features rare grapes and unique varietals from boutique producers. Event organizers often book buy-in (50 people) for lunch or dinner. Off-site catering is available – such as the LACMA Art + Film gala dinner.

347 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills
Penthouse Suite, Beverly Wilshire

Enriched with views, this fully renovated three-bedroom penthouse suite on the 14th floor of the Beverly Wing in Beverly Wilshire (The Four Seasons Hotel) boasts a wrap-around terrace and an elegant dining room that can seat 10-12 people. The apartment-sized suite is complete with a show kitchen, matching marble-tiled bathroom the size of a small studio, and a separate media room. Food is available at Wolfgang Puck’s CUT Restaurant or the hotel’s BLVD or in-house dining.

9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills



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