 The Beverly Hills Hotel was established in May 1912 , before the city 's existence . The original owners were Margaret J. Anderson , a wealthy widow , and her son , Stanley S. Anderson , who had been managing the Hollywood Hotel . The original hotel was designed by Pasadena architect Elmer Grey , in the Mediterranean Revival style . From 1928 to 1932 , the hotel was owned by the Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Company . In 1941 , Hernando Courtright , the vice president of the Bank of America , purchased the hotel with friends including Irene Dunne , Loretta Young and Harry Warner . Courtright established the Polo Lounge , which was for many years the premier dining spot in Los Angeles , hosting luminaries such as the Rat Pack , Humphrey Bogart and Marlene Dietrich . Courtright paid for a significant renovation in the late forties , during which the hotel was first painted its famous pink color in 1948 , to match that period 's country club style . The following year , architect Paul Williams added the Crescent Wing . 
