My domestic editorial trips don’t always inspire as much envy as my international forays, but when I told friends and family that my next destination was Beverly Hills, oohs and aahs were the inevitable responses. Stars were in their eyes, but I was excited to experience tthe hotels. This small city within a city contains three remarkable urban resorts that we rate at 97 or higher, an astonishing concentration rivaled only in Paris.

A fourth hotel has been an object of curiosity for several years. Because we give high ratings to various Maybourne hotels, like Claridge’s in London and The Maybourne Riviera overlooking Monaco, members and colleagues have wondered why we don’t recommend the company’s hotel in Beverly Hills. It was time to pay the property an incognito visit.

The Maybourne Beverly Hills

This 204-room Spanish Colonial-style hotel has a prime location in the Golden Triangle, in easy walking distance to the shopping of Rodeo Drive. Back when Montage managed the property, it failed to impress us, but the reputation and deep pockets of Qatari-owned Maybourne gave me high hopes that this latest incarnation would be a major improvement.