When Sherman Oaks music producer David Campbell Watson needed some rest after a hard workweek, he didn’t head to some over-the-hill lodging.
He sought a piece of paradise right in his backyard — the historic Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City, now fresh after an $8 million face-lift.
“Love it,” said Watson, a 12-year guest whose solo weekend getaway included catching up on “Breaking Bad” episodes. “It’s different. It’s lost a lot of its faded glory, but they’ve done (the new hotel renovation) well.”
Five years ago, the Studio City landmark completed a multimillion-dollar makeover of the nearly century-old events center, with its restaurant, bar, banquet hall, outdoor gardens and famous fish ponds. Now it’s poised to celebrate a top-to-bottom redesign of its mid-century modern hotel.
After a year-long renovation, the 190-room Sportsmen’s Lodge at 12825 Ventura Boulevard has been updated for the 21st century.
“It looks good,” said Richard Weintraub, president of the Weintraub Real Estate Group of Malibu, which owns the complex. “Everybody talks of the Valley as second-class. I think we have really raised the bar, made it really special — as good as any place in Los Angeles.
“With all the class but without the attitude.”
Gone are the dark lobby, swirly black carpets and dowdy decor. Gone is the “check-in cage” familiar to hotel guests that included the likes of Clark Gable, Bette Davis and John Wayne and such visiting bands as Willie Nelson, the Beach Boys and Lynyrd Skynyrd. And gone is the faded Astroturf padding around the nearly Olympic-size swimming pool.
Instead, the 52-year-old inn traded in its vintage two-button suit for some upscale contemporary duds. Built in 1962, the U-shaped hotel now has a renewed sheen, its exterior brick sheathed in white and gray, with an eye-popping lime-and-tangerine balcony and deck chairs.
“The hotel is better than ever,” said director of sales Nathalie Fintzi during a recent tour of the 8-acre grounds. “You’ve got crazy Ventura Boulevard out front, but you can’t hear anything in here.”
The jutting porte cochere, once paved in asphalt, now features cobblestones and hanging fountains. Large windows grace the lobby, chandeliers fashioned of sportsmen’s antlers hang throughout, and hide-covered wingback chairs beckon from under a herd of a dozen faux-deer trophies.
The hotel’s sunny rooms, decorated in white, gray and orange, boast brand-new beds cloaked in retro spreads, with redone bathrooms featuring quartz counters.
Amenities such as Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs add to the contemporary feel, and photos of vintage Hollywood and famous swimming pools line spruced up corridors.
A new bar looks out upon the pool and gardens. And the Patio Cafe, once western themed, has also been highly streamlined, with kitschy “TV dinners” on ceramic trays boasting such items as “The Brady Bunch” fried chicken or “Gilligan’s Island” fish and chips.
Rooms that went for $9 in the Camelot era now command poolside rates of up to $299.
After the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, the venue’s natural spring dried up — and so did the angling.
In December 2008, the banquet hall closed when its operator, Patrick Holleran, didn’t renew his lease. Locals and longtime employees feared the vaunted name would vanish — and then Weintraub bought the name and Sportsmen’s lived on.
As always, the hotel gets its share of film shoots and A-list celebrities, said Weintraub, who grew up in the Valley. With the place’s new urban feel, he hopes to draw business travelers with 7,000 square feet of meeting space and a 24-hour business center.
The all-new Sportsmen’s is within walking distance of stores, some 20 restaurants and Studio City’s Weddington Golf & Tennis. And its storied past is now its present and future.
Beginning Thursday — and 3-9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month through October — Sportsmen’s holds the Valley’s only Night Market, featuring dozens of vendors, DJs and merchants such as Rustic Threads, Detroit Trash and Treehaus.
Rolling eateries Currywurst, Macho Nacho, Wise Barbeque, Señor Crab, Cousins Maine Lobster and more will provide the grub.
A four-hour poolside happy hour will dole out proper drinks, with the Patio Cafe offering specials during and after the festivities. For those wishing to extend the party, the hotel is giving a 20 percent discount each Thursday night to all marketgoers.
“I can’t think of a better summer scene than a market on our front porch every first Thursday,” said hotel General Manager Stephen Chavez, in a statement. “It’s perfect for the people of the Valley and Studio City, and we’re looking forward to watching it grow into something sensational.”
“We want new history to be made here,” Weintraub added. “And it’s already happening.”
