Originally, an exceptional project in the hills above Beverly Hills
Signed in October 2021 by Bulgari Hotels & Resorts with developer and film producer Gary Safady, the project envisaged a complex of 58 rooms and suites arranged in secluded bungalows, complemented by eight private residences of between 1,100 and 4,460 sq m, a 930 sq m spa, a gym, a cinema and a sushi bar. The whole scheme was to occupy just over 13 hectares of hillside in Benedict Canyon, less than eight kilometres from Rodeo Drive. The exterior architecture had been entrusted to South African firm Studio SAOTA, with interiors by Milan-based Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, a longstanding collaborator on Bulgari projects.
The development was intended to become the brand’s second US address, following the planned opening in Miami, and the twelfth property in the LVMH-owned group’s hotel collection.
Structured local opposition from the outset
Originally known as “The Retreat,” the project required a zoning change to allow a commercial establishment to be built in a residential area. That requirement immediately mobilised Benedict Canyon residents, who came together under the Save Our Canyons collective and spent several years denouncing the project’s environmental and safety impacts — opposition championed in particular by City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky.
The scheme had nonetheless secured an initial green light from the City Planning Commission in 2017, opening an environmental review process that would run for nearly six years.
The City’s stated grounds for halting the project
On 16 August 2023, the Los Angeles City Council voted 8-6 in favour of a motion asking the Director of Planning to reconsider the approvals granted. On 6 September 2023, Vincent Bertoni formally notified Gary Safady of the revocation of the general plan amendment required for the project, bringing the review process to an end.
In his letter, Vincent Bertoni detailed an environmental impact considerably greater than initial estimates had suggested. The works would have required the excavation of more than 118,000 cubic metres of earth and led to the removal of more than 75% of the site’s protected trees and shrubs, as well as more than 90% of its heritage trees. Protected or endangered species could also have been affected. The Planning Director found that the project conflicted with the objectives of the area’s community plan and with policies protecting hillside zones, natural habitats and ridgeline ecological resources.
Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky welcomed a decision she said sent a strong signal in favour of preserving Los Angeles’s hillsides, noting that no new hotel had been approved in the range for nearly a century.
Developer threatens to sue the city
The developer strongly contested the decision. His lawyer, Mike Gatto, said Gary Safady was considering legal action against the municipality, arguing that the Planning Director’s decision was grounded neither in law nor in reasonable public policy. He also noted that several million dollars had already been invested in a project that had been six years in the making, and that the cancellation damaged the city’s credibility with investors.
A site now in financial difficulty
Two years after the project was halted, the land has taken a further turn. In March 2025, all fifteen parcels involved — including the address at 9712 West Oak Pass Road along with two single-family residences — were put on the market for $175 million through The Agency.
According to public records cited by The Real Deal, the property is in pre-foreclosure. A notice of default was reportedly filed in November 2024, citing an unpaid balance of $49.7 million on a $30 million loan extended by Motcomb Estates Limited — a real estate investment vehicle of the Reuben brothers — to 9712 Oak Pass Road LLC, an entity linked to Gary Safady.
A setback within a troubled US expansion
The failure of the Los Angeles project is not an isolated case in Bulgari Hotels & Resorts’ US development. The Bulgari Hotel Miami Beach, the brand’s first property on this side of the Atlantic, announced back in 2020 with an opening originally planned for 2024, has also seen repeated delays. The project, which involves restoring the historic 1950s Seagull Hotel, was set back by an unforeseen structural defect that led to the demolition of much of the historic building in order to rebuild the foundations. Opening is now slated for 2029 — nine years after the project was first announced. Between the regulatory setbacks in Los Angeles and the technical troubles in Miami, the Italian luxury brand’s US expansion is proving considerably more difficult than in its other markets.
At a Glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Bulgari Resort Los Angeles – Project Timeline Announced: October 2021, signed with developer Gary Safady Planned scope: 58 rooms/suites, 8 private estates, spa, cinema, sushi bar Location: Benedict Canyon, Santa Monica Mountains City Council vote to rescind: August 16, 2023 (8-6) Formal revocation: September 6, 2023, by Planning Director Vincent Bertoni Cited reasons: excavation of 118,000+ cubic yards of soil, removal of 75%+ of protected trees and shrubs Current status: 15-parcel site listed for $175M in March 2025, property reportedly in pre-foreclosure
