What’s it like living at the W, Montage or Ritz-Carlton?

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Moments after the private elevator in the Montage Beverly Hills slides open, the staff warmly greets Larry Field and ushers him to a pool-view seat at the rooftop Conservatory Grill. The hostess gives him a hug. Servers nod in recognition.

‘Mr. Field, anything you want to eat, the chef will make,’ says the waiter, who nevertheless proffers a menu. Now, this is the life. Field is the first and, so far, the only ‘resident guest’ at the Montage, meaning his $7-million condominium set within the hotel development comes with services and amenities beyond those available to overnight visitors.

It’s a new spin on an old but alluring idea: hotel as home. This spring, two other high-profile properties in the area — the W Hollywood Hotel & Residences and the Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. Live — will begin handing over the keys to homes set inside hotel complexes. All promise luxury accommodations and the kind of pampered, room-serviced life that beckons travelers to check in. The difference? Residents don’t have to check out.

Read more of this article on the hotel as home, or check out our photo gallery of hotel residences at the W, Montage and Ritz-Carlton.

-- Valli Herman