Above: The Hotel California (1976) album cover, designed by John Kosh and photographed by David Alexander, features a dusky shot of the once-iconic Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. Shot from a cherry picker to achieve a “sinister,” high-angle view, it symbolizes the decay of the American Dream in California. Fifty years later, consider this photo alongside the current owners and their complete lack of humanity.
No Polo Lounge. Ever.
On April 9, 2026, an angel of Hollywood was seen walking across Sunset Boulevard. Dressed in all-white, sans makeup, she was, in a word, luminous.
And then...wait, was she starting her morning walk from The Beverly Hills Hotel? She’s too kind. Too down-to-earth. Perhaps her handlers made the mistake of booking her a room there. Maybe the company she’s currently collab-ing with booked it, and she didn't want to offend.
Still.
What’s more offensive than Sharia Law!
Now, this fantastic celebrity, whom we all love and adore, may have simply been on a Sunset Boulevard walkabout and just happened to be crossing the street in front of the hotel when she was spotted. Zero proof that she stayed at the hotel. However, our most-loved fashion designers and celebrities who condone the Beverly Hills Hotel’s cruel practices, by way of attendance, can light a fire in your brain.
And if you don’t know, you don’t know. But that’s why we’re detailing the story here:
In 1987, the Beverly Hills Hotel was sold to the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah (who also owns LA’s Hotel Bel-Air). In 2014, the Sultan implemented strict Sharia law in his home country, which includes penalties for the LGBTQ+ Community.
Only after significant financial losses, thanks in part to celebrity boycotts, The Dorchester Collection, the luxury hotel’s parent, who first retorted with “No comment,” finally loosened the reins a teeny bit, in hopes of trying to calm all of the fury.
Fast-forward to 2024, Out Magazine’s James Duke Mason published an update to the story, and we’ll continue to update this panel, too, but for now. it’s No Polo Lounge for us. There are a plethora of spectacular kind lovely fabulous ethical good companies in Los Angeles, so why give your money to an evil one.
