The Culver Hotel–where history and romance meet

The Culver Hotel, the city’s famous historic landmark, was selected as one of the 10 Best Romantic Boutique Hotels by USA Today.

Coming in at No. 2 behind the Hermosa Inn of Paradise Valley, Ariz., this is the first such award for the 91-year-old Heart of Screenland mainstay.

“We’re a very romantic hotel and we’re very happy to have been acknowledged for that and we make efforts everyday to make a beautiful guest experience so that was definitely a big feather in our hat,” said Culver Hotel owner Maya Mallick.

Mallick, whose family bought the hotel eight years ago, realized that it was in need of a makeover and so she and her hotelier family began the process of transforming the hotel into more than just a landmark. But a destination stay to make Culver City proud.

Thanks to Mallick’s experience as a designer, she gave the building a much-needed facelift as she imbued the interior with a classic 1920s-era ambience as well as adding a restaurant, conference rooms, and two bars.

“When we bought the hotel eight years ago, it was looking quite different,” Mallick said. “It was obviously a very beautiful historic landmark, but it really was a vision and I had that vision to make this into that place and we work on that every day and so for that reason I’m extra proud today.”

The most recent change to those who have never been to the Culver Hotel is the addition of a market lunch featuring fast, fresh and delicious food for people who don’t have a lot of time, but still want to eat a healthy meal.

During a celebration of the historic hotel’s inclusion on USA Today’s 10Best list, Daniel Polk, executive chef for the Culver Hotel, assembled a whole host of vegetarian and gluten-free treats for the more than 50 invited guests in attendance.

“We really wanted to showcase this sort of rustic feel of farmer’s markets produce and we also want to offer a lot of things that are going to be gluten-free and vegan,” Polk said.

Marla Cimini, a freelance journalist for USA Today, nominated the hotel as one of the best romantic spots in America. During a recent stay while working on a story about Culver City’s culinary scene, she was extremely impressed with everything the hotel had to offer.

“The hotel is so fantastic because of several reasons,” Cimini said. “The people, the staff here are really wonderful and they are truly committed to making the property fantastic. They are very welcoming to guests and they really have the whole package. Between the beautiful lobby and event space and the gorgeous rooms, they really keep the historical integrity of the property intact.”

Culver Hotel General Manager Seth Horowitz welcomed guests to last week’s celebration, and acknowledged the ‘amazing’ amount of local support the hotel has received.

“It’s the most incredible feeling being in our little hotel in this little city and feeling the entire city get behind voting for the Culver Hotel,” Horowitz said. “It was exhilarating. It is what this hotel is all about. It’s about being part of Culver City and Culver City turned around in its last two weeks and said, ‘You are the best of Culver City.’ The Culver Hotel represents this city beautifully and the results are there for everyone to see.”

Among the numerous guests in attendance was Culver City Mayor Micheal O’Leary and Councilwoman Meghan Sahli-Wells. O’Leary praised the hotel for its longevity as an iconic structure.

“I’m so proud, the Culver Hotel has always been the anchor for culver city in my personal opinion,” O’Leary said. “When I opened my business 15 years ago, this area was bleak to say the least but the Culver Hotel always stood strong. It was always that building that you knew wasn’t going to go anywhere.”

Mallick said that when she acquired the hotel, she fell in love with it, which is what inspired her to revamp the building into what it is today. Now, with an attractive new exterior and an interior design motif that evokes memories of the glamour days of the movie industry, Mallick believes that the Culver Hotel, will continue to give its guests not just a place to rest their heads, but a truly special experience.

“We give them great service, a very warm hospitality,” she said. “We try to provide an experience that’s a little unique to our place. I think we offer a nice artistic design that brings the history back in honor of the historic architecture and in honor of Harry Culver and we give them a place that’s not just a hotel, it’s a lot more.”