Have you ever wondered what really goes down when you’re a guest at one of the world’s finest hotels? Are you curious about what perks you’re missing out on by always opting for budget-friendly hotels? Do you want to know if splurging on a luxury hotel is worth the investment?

I turned 30 this year, so I decided to find out once and for all what I’ve been missing out on. I figure any awesome, memorable life experience is worth a considerable investment. I deserve to live like a rock star just once. When I thought about where a celebrity or millionaire might vacation, I immediately thought of the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard – so I booked my flight to Los Angeles as my 30th birthday gift to myself.

The Beverly Hills Hotel is one of the world’s most iconic and best-known hotels, and is closely associated with Hollywood film stars, rock stars and celebrities. This hotel is beyond luxury – and beyond five stars.

It’s like stepping into a fantasy world and leaving the regular world behind. Since the hotel is over 100 years old, it’s no wonder why staying here feels other-worldly. Splurging on this is definitely bucket-list worthy.

I befriended the staff and got loads of insider information. What I found out astonished me. Some of the perks of staying at a fancy, world-renowned hotel are unbelievable. If you were wondering what it would be like to live like the rich and famous, get ready for this: Here are the 20 most interesting and mind-blowing facts I found out about the Beverly Hills Hotel:

1. Your room will be huge, and sometimes your private patio will be just as big (or bigger) than the room itself. It was crazy to see how huge the room’s patios were. Some of the rooms had two-level patios surrounded by palm trees, and they all had a full outdoor dining set-up as well as outdoor lounge chairs for reading a book outside during the day, or star-gazing at night.

2. You could have your own private pool. The Beverly Hills Hotel has several stunning bungalows available in addition to the hotel rooms. One of the Bungalows boasts its own private pool and hot tub, complete with beautiful peach Spanish tiles and tropical gardens. As if the hotel’s main pool isn’t amazing enough, you can also have your own. Their most exclusive Bungalows boast other perks as well such as grand pianos in-room, and private outdoor showers.

3. The pool-side services are the best of the best. What does a guest sun-bathing at a luxury hotel’s pool get offered, you ask? Think mojito-pops, frozen peanut butter bars, complimentary sunglass cleaning, Evian facial mists, WiFi, full bar and food service and unlimited sunscreen. If that’s not awesome enough, they also have music playing under the water, to make your pool dips that much more enjoyable.

4. Pool-side private cabanas are complete with flat-screen TVs, WiFi and fruit bowls. The pool cabanas at the Beverly Hills Hotel have all the comforts of a mini hotel room, including comfortable sofas and LCD flat-screens.

5. You can reserve Frank Sinatra’s booth. The iconic Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel is a hot-spot for celebrities. Even if they’re not staying at the hotel, they often go there to dine. You’re quite likely to see a celeb if you eat there, and you can even request a certain icon’s favourite booth. The host will show you where Beyonce last sat, Leonardo’s favourite table, and which booth was Frank Sinatra’s favourite. Your bum will be where his bum was. Cool!

6. The world-class spa has all the extras. A visit to La Prairie Spa is a must. It’s a five star luxury spa located at the promenade level of the Beverly Hills Hotel, and it happens to be one of the best spas in Los Angeles. Not only are the massages and facials to-die-for, but the changing room has everything from steam rooms and saunas to personal sandals, comfy robes, mini toothpastes and mini mouthwash.

7. There might be a TV in your bathroom’s mirror. Oh, and there’s a phone next to the toilet. The bathrooms are beautiful, spacious, and can even come equipped with a TV and a phone? That’s just awesome.

8. You can control the lighting in your room with buttons beside your bed and with the TV’s remote control. A control-panel next to your bed can control the lights, and you can dim the lights or opt for a blackout – or only leave your bedside lamp on. The same tricks can be done from the TV’s remote control.

9. Get ready for the most comfortable bed you’ve ever slept in. Obviously if you’re paying top-dollar you’re getting an incredibly comfy bed. The Beverly Hills Hotel’s rooms have plush Sealy Posturepedic beds with gel-infused memory foam, so you’re basically sleeping on could nine.

10. You don’t have to get out of bed if you forgot to hang the privacy request outside your door. Controlling the lights isn’t the only thing you can do from bed. Next to your bed, there’s a “privacy” button and a “service” button, so that you can request to either be left alone or request service with the push of a button.

11. Nightly turn-down service includes freshly baked cookies and a message on your TV. Luxury hotels have a ‘turn-down service’ where the bed linens are turned down in preparation for use. At the Beverly Hills Hotel, delicious bedtime cookies will be placed beside your bed, as well as fresh water and sometimes a message on your TV screen.

12. You can request Butler service. Do you need someone to stand over you while you eat dinner and wipe the caviar from your beard? For $100 an hour, you can order a Butler with your in-room dining.

13. A dog-walking service is offered to guests. If you need your dog walked, don’t fret. This is just one of the many examples of the staff going out of their way for you. (They also offer dry-cleaning and laundry services).

14. Everything is monogrammed and it’s oh-so-cute. It’s adorable to see how many items are branded and personalized at this hotel. The duvet cover is monogrammed, the wine-opener is pink and has the logo on it, the champagne is ‘Beverly Hills Hotel’ champagne and even the maple syrup you receive at breakfast is branded as ‘Beverly Hills Hotel’ maple syrup. Much of this branding is in the hotel’s theme colours, green and pink. The hotel itself is pink (it’s commonly referred to as the ‘Pink Palace’), and the green comes into play with the iconic banana-leaf wallpaper and green-and-white striped booths at the poolside Cabana Cafe.

15. Welcome amenities might even include edible logos or edible notes. Fancy hotels always welcome guests with something, like a decorative display of seasonal fruit or flowers. If you’re going to the Beverly Hills Hotel for work or for a special event, you can request edible media. Their pastry chefs are talented at creating custom branded candy with your company’s logo or a special message on it.

16. There’s complimentary yoga by the pool for guests. The pool has an upper deck with a beautiful Californian view, and that’s’ where the complimentary yoga sessions take place.

17. Kids get their own monogrammed ‘credit card’. Kids get excited when they’re given a little ‘credit card’ that says VIP on the front. It can be redeemed for unlimited sodas and juices in the dining outlets.

18. You’ll get to see the Bungalow Marilyn Monroe lived at. At an iconic hotel like this, there’s lots of perks when it comes to viewing rooms that were certain celebrities’ favourites, including the Bungalow Marilyn Monroe lived at during her career and the one Elizabeth Taylor honeymooned at with six of her eight husbands.

19. From red-carpet photo walls and banana leaf hallways to 1940s throwbacks, everything you see is Instagram-worthy. The entrance to the hotel has a red carpet and photo wall. The Fountain coffee room and the hotel’s corridors are adorned with the classic tropical Beverly Hills Hotel banana leaf wallpaper. This iconic design has been featured in the hotel for over 50 years, which might be why it’s such a popular backdrop for photos. It’s incredibly charming, and entering the Fountain coffee room is like stepping backwards in time – it’s a bit surreal. It’s actually a historical landmark built in 1949, and features 19 restored bar stools around a classic curved soda fountain counter inspired by the 1940s.

20. The food and beverages are phenomenal. You’ll be able to order unique and refreshing cocktails such as the ‘blueberry lavendar fizz’ and your omelet will come with a fresh fruit arrangement in the shape of a star. Not only is the food delicious, but they really pay attention to detail when it comes to presentation. It’s almost as though the chef knows you’re going to Instagram it.

So there you have it – the truth behind closed doors at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Sounds like a fantasy, right?