Los Angeles Luxury Hotels Hope the Downturn Skips Hollywood | WSJ.com

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- On a balmy evening earlier this month, wealthy guests in backless gowns and tuxedoes gathered to toast the city's newest high-end hotel, SLS, which boasts such amenities as poolside concierges and in-room massages. But no amount of top-shelf liquor could dull the dreary outlook confronting SLS and the cadre of recently opened luxury hotels. In Los Angeles, where self-indulgence rises to art, SLS splurged on a $700,000 opening party. The company has already begun offering discounts for its freshly minted rooms, showing how the deep strains on the hotel industry are being felt even here.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- On a balmy evening earlier this month, wealthy guests in backless gowns and tuxedoes gathered to toast the city's newest high-end hotel, SLS, which boasts such amenities as poolside concierges and in-room massages. But no amount of top-shelf liquor could dull the dreary outlook confronting SLS and the cadre of recently opened luxury hotels. In Los Angeles, where self-indulgence rises to art, SLS splurged on a $700,000 opening party. The company has already begun offering discounts for its freshly minted rooms, showing how the deep strains on the hotel industry are being felt even here.