If you were planning to travel in January or February but flights have been cancelled and destinations are changing visiting guidelines, now is the perfect time to take advantage of new weekly short-term stays at AKA WeHo Residences.
AKA provides luxury spacious apartments paired with hotel services and amenities in a number of cities including New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C, London and Los Angeles (in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood). I recently checked out AKA’s West Hollywood location to sample a remote work/staycation experience.
Located on the Sunset Strip, the sleek destination houses 110 residences ranging from 700 to 1,800 square feet. Guests can choose from one or two-bedroom suites or go all out for a two bedroom penthouse.
Upon entry, guests can park in a secured parking lot and received a token for easy access to the parking lot for the duration of their stay. Once inside, the concierge at the entrance desk provides keys and information regarding amenities.
I loved the sleek modern design and the layout, which provided easy access to the spacious lounge, beautiful pool and large fitness area on the entry floor. Each guest receives a keycard to access amenities. After opening the door to my unit, I entered into a huge gourmet kitchen with concrete ceilings, wood floors, pendant lighting, white lacquer cabinetry, a big oven and concealed appliances including a huge fridge and dishwasher. The cupboards were full of plates, utensils, microwave, coffee machine and everything I would need to cook meals.
The kitchen flowed into the living room in an open layout design. The floor to ceiling windows provided natural light and views of the Sunset Strip and West Hollywood. My unit overlooked the pool and provided a beautiful view. The furniture was selected to perfectly fit each space with made-to-order furnishings from Italy. My living room included a very low grey comfy couch, modern round tables, a cozy sitting chair and a huge flat screen LED TV with hundreds of channels. The main living room also included a very nice work area with a desk, light and plenty of plug-ins for charging phones, laptops and ipads. AKA also offers Alice texting technology enabling guests to text directly to AKA’s resident services team via text messages 24.7. I used this a few times to get connectivity and to figure out the advanced television and got immediate service. This was a huge plus as most hotels have a long wait time to respond to customer service questions.
My bedroom also provided stellar city views, a custom vanity, another large flat screen Smart TV, custom Italian bedding and a nice open walk-in closet with a safe. There was also a washer and dryer on the way to the minimalistic bathroom with a nice bath/shower combination featuring custom made Salvatori Stone walls and sinks. Original black and white artwork by artist Austin Kerr and photography by Jan Almquist are featured throughout the suite.
Downstairs, the a.lounge includes the private pool with panoramic city views and plenty of areas to relax under covered open cabanas, luxurious lounge chairs and a huge indoor lounge perfect for catching up on work or unwinding with a healthy beverage from the AKA elixir bar.
On the way to the fitness area is a nice a.cafe space featuring complimentary tea, water, coffee and pastries. The a.fitness center is huge and houses state-of-the-art Technogym equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, cycles and a large weight training area. Residents can use the space anytime and also offers virtual work out classes. There are also free bicycles for use located just outside the building. Another unique feature of this location is AKA’s signature intimate screening room available on-demand and complimentary for residents.
Another perk offered at the AKA West Hollywood location is a special in-suite dining experience from neighboring Tesse Restaurant. The restaurant offers an exclusive menu for AKA residents and offers both in room dining and preferred seating options. Guests can also order hard-to-find wines through AKA’s on demand Suite Sommelier service.
I opted to head downstairs and enjoy contemporary European dishes at Tesse including custom cocktails, a beautiful charcuterie board, burrata toast with black mission figs, black truffle mac and cheese, bucatini with bone marrow, an enormous pork chop with winter squash and brown butter puree, a New York strip steak with duck fat fries and short ribs with squash puree. Desserts include a crème brulee and a chocolate tarte.
A week stay at the AKA in a one bedroom suite runs approximately $3,700 and is well worth the price. Averaging out to about $500 per night, the suite is much bigger than a luxury hotel room at a comparable price and has the added bonus of a full kitchen, great location within walking distance of dozens of restaurants, entertainment venues and shopping and beautiful amenities including secure parking, a pool, lounge and fitness area that provide privacy and lots of space.
AKA WeHo residences can be reserved at https://www.stayaka.com.
$3,700 to stay for 1 week? Crazy!!!