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Jeff Klein may not be a designer, but there’s no question that he thinks like one. The hotelier behind some of Hollywood’s buzziest hotels and private clubs can walk into a dilapidated structure and immediately recognize the hidden potential of the space—plus, he has the stomach to oversee a transformation process that can sometimes span years (not to mention ballooning budgets). He is often preoccupied with paint colors and mood lighting and how a person’s experience of a room can make or break it. And his job description frequently requires him to wear all the hats as he toggles between event planning, decorating, restaurant managing, human resources, and more. Like the conductor of some real-estate version of a symphony, he deftly orchestrates everything he touches.
The hotelier’s obsession with hospitality began in 1993, just three days after he graduated from Tulane University, when he got a job as a bellman at The Franklin Hotel in New York. He spent the next two years learning every aspect of the hotel’s operations and was quickly promoted to general manager. That experience paved the way for opportunities to buy and manage properties of his own, and he soon made a name for himself crafting chic dens for celebrities who craved privacy, personalized service, and a detail-oriented approach to hospitality in an uncompromisingly stylish setting.
In each venture, Jeff has understood the power of atmosphere and sought out top designers to help bring his vision to life. At New York’s City Club it was Jeffrey Bilhuber. Paul Fortune restored the sultry Art Deco soul at the landmark Sunset Tower Hotel, in Los Angeles. For his pivot to private clubs, Klein took a residential turn, hiring London-based designer Rita Konig to give a seedy motel a glow up at the San Vicente Bungalows West Hollywood, where the interiors and lush gardens harken back to the gated community hangouts of old matinee idols. For the brand’s New York outpost, Rose Uniacke took the design helm, imbuing the 1908 building, formerly The Jane hotel, with understated luxury. But Jeff Klein sits at the center of it all.
“I’m really like a movie producer or director. But it’s every single minute of your life,” he once told Avenue. “You can’t call cut. I’m always thinking: ‘What will be exciting for my customers?’”
At San Vicente West Village, that means a disco splashed with pink, blue, and yellow paint in the tradition of Jackson Pollock. For San Vicente Santa Monica, designer Lisa Koch tented a small lounge with sumptuous Pierre Frey fabric for an intimate, cocooning feel. And in West Hollywood, former Vogue creative director Grace Coddington covered the walls of the bar in murals crawling with her playful aristo-cat drawings ala the iconic Bemelman’s Bar.
Jeff knows that the cumulative effect of these decisions—an intuitive sense of the real estate market, a knack for brand building, an emphasis on service and an unwavering desire to curate memorable moments—goes well beyond delighting guests, instilling loyalty simply by virtue of the way a place makes people feel. He is painstaking in his attention to details, however subtle, because he appreciates how they play on the subconscious, influence emotions and mold experiences in powerful ways. It turns out designers know something about that, too.
