Once home to iconic 1960s counterculture hubs like The Source Restaurant and Pandora’s Box, Sunset Boulevard’s reputation tops all norms of a city street. Now in Sunset’s latest iteration, The Edition is bringing back the excitement of LA’s golden age when it opens up to guests on November 12^th.

LA’s obsession with hedonism and the outdoors is no joke, and nobody knows it better than Studio 54 co-founder and The Edition’s owner, Ian Schrager. It’s the morning of the hotel’s exclusive preview party; Schrager and I are sitting in the brand-new penthouse unit overlooking Los Angeles. All but 2 of the property’s full-time residences have already been acquired. Schrager is a hotelier in his bones, he tells me. “It’s not something I can turn on and off, I notice every little thing. Things most people may not.” In-between laughter and nostalgic stories of friends in the hotel business, Schrager is teasing the evening’s surprise performance, “You’re going to love it.” The surprise was Q Tip and Janelle Monae, and every guest in the hotel’s basement club, Sunset, did love it.

Upon entering the new hotel on the evening of the exclusive preview, guests were greeted by the work of British modern architect John Pawson, and a hanging Sterling Ruby installation in the hotel’s lobby.

A seated dinner at the hotel’s landmark restaurant, Ardor, showcased head chef John Fraser and his ability to create a delicious dinner using farm-fresh and local California ingredients. Despite 200 dinner guests including Arne Sorenson, Billy Idol, Cee Lo Green, Jean Pigozzi, Paris Hilton and her parents, Linda Ramone, Alex Israel, Minnie Mortimer, Jonathan Simkhai, Jasmine Saunders, and Michael Costello, each table felt intimate. 6-8 guests gathered at each setting with lit candelabras and the open California air. 

After dinner, more guests like Leonardo DiCaprio, Winnie Harlow, Beck, Paul Oakenfold, Justine Skye, Lucky Blue Smith, Nicholas Kirkwood, and Robyn descended onto the hotel for a hotel-wide party. Like most nights on Sunset Boulevard, lines for the entrance could be seen from around the block while Angelenos were frantic to join in on the new, new.

With a wrap-around rooftop and extravagant pool overlooking all of Los Angeles, Schrager’s attention to detail is on full display. It becomes grossly clear that Schrager is a host of the highest order. And what exactly fuels this passion for hospitality, I ask him. Schrager laughs and flashes a smile that has endeared him to the world’s most eminent people: “I’m never completely satisfied.”