Dimitri, Hollywood’s Million-Dollar Maitre D’, Sails Off Into the Sunset (Tower)

At Tower Bar, everything old is new again.

After six years of holding court at Jeff Klein’s tony San Vicente Bungalows, Dimitri Dimitrov is departing this week to become the major domo of Tower Bar, the star-packed Hollywood eatery at Klein’s Sunset Tower Hotel where the legendary 75-year-old maître d’ first started working  20 years ago.

“Dimitri played an instrumental role in making Tower Bar what it is, and the guests missed him terribly,” said Klein. “Our regulars will be thrilled that he’s back.”

Those regulars include everyone from Jennifer Aniston to Tom Ford to Elon Musk. (Charmed by the dapper, Macedonian-born host, Musk talked him into buying a pile of Tesla stock way back in 2010, a prescient move that eventually turned Dimitri into L.A.’s first millionaire maître d’.)

“It’s not about the money for me, obviously,” said Dimitrov, who’s stepping in for departing Tower Bar host Geshie Wilmot. “It’s just historic to go back to be a part of this landmark hotel. To be asked to do this, at my age — it’s just incredible!”

As it happens, the star-struck septuagenerian is also about to be the subject of an upcoming documentary that will chart his 40-year career at some of L.A’s most exclusive restaurants and trail him as he goes about his duties as Hollywood’s host-with-the-most. The project is being directed by Grant Singer, director of last year’s Netflix crime drama Reptile and son of pitbull Hollywood lawyer Marty Singer (Dimitri remembers Grant as a child dining at Tower Bar with his dad).  

Klein, meanwhile, has been busily supervising the debut of two SVB offshoots, one in Santa Monica (slated to open in November) and the other in New York’s West Village, at the former Jane St. Hotel, that’s scheduled to debut later this year. Gabe Doppelt, SVB’s peripatetic membership empressario, will be moving to Manhattan next month to oversee the Bungalows’ eastern expansion, while keeping close tabs on all things L.A.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” admitted Klein of all the musical chairs, “but somehow we’re staying on top of it!