I'm a big fan of Four Seasons hotels, having visited more than a dozen over the last few years, so it pains me to give this hotel four stars instead of five. Especially because the reduction was not really the fault of Four Seasons Westlake itself - well, I guess actually it was.
First the good, which is just about everything. Perfect service, perfectly clean, perfect luxury without being "in your face" - which is why I love Four Seasons. We had dinner at ONYX, which included one of the best mojitos we've ever had and a fantastic pad thai and sushi. Breakfast was generous and tasty. Rooms were extremely comfortable. Everything you come to expect with Four Seasons. My favorites continue to be Hong Kong, Singapore, and Hualalai, but Westlake is right with them in terms of service and luxury.
Now for the one bad experience. My wife scheduled a mani-pedi, which was listed in the Four Seasons Spa brochure by the bedside. It turns out the salon services are outsourced to a different company, even though they are located inside the Spa. According to my wife, it wasn't up to Four Seasons standard, not even close. The specialist wasn't professional in appearance or demeanor, the area was cluttered, trash was overflowing, and the tools and implements looked like they hadn't been sterilized. In fact, my wife said she'd prefer the cheap place near our house as it is cleaner and potentially safer. Imagine having to worry about safety and hygiene in a Four Seasons.
We brought this experience to the attention of the Four Seasons front desk staff, and in true "real" Four Seasons style they apologized and immediately removed the charge without questioning or arguing. But I told them that my bigger concern was how this contract salon company reflects on the Four Seasons brand. They promised to take action. I hope they do, as aside from this it is yet another exceptional hotel.
Room Tip: They offer a "waterfall view room" as an upgrade. Really not that big of a deal.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
April 16, 2013
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your review, and I do apologize sincerely for the lateness of my response. I appreciate your bringing these concerns to our attention and I am very sorry to hear about your recent experience in the salon. While the salon is managed separately from the Hotel, we still aim to maintain a consistently high level of service for our guests in all areas of the property. In the time since your visit, we have shared your feedback with the salon management and have worked closely with their team to make sure that we are all delivering the highest level of service to enhance our guests' experience.
We do appreciate your compliments about our property and I am pleased to hear that you otherwise had an exceptional stay with us. I hope that we can look forward to welcoming you and your wife back again in the near future. Many thanks again.
Warmest Regards,
Allie Rhodes
PR/Marketing Asst. Manager
Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, California
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.