The 30 Best Hotel Openings of 2021

First it was a private club, later a YWCA. Today, the 1920s Renaissance Revival building is home to the Downtown LA Proper Hotel. Like the Santa Monica, San Francisco, and Austin locations, the Downtown Los Angeles newcomer bears the contemporary-meets-vintage imprint of local designer Kelly Wearstler. In honor of the hotel’s history, Wearstler preserved such original elements as brickwork and window casing, but she updated it with Spanish, Portuguese, Mexican, and Moroccan influences, embracing more than 100 varieties of tiles and turning to locally based Judson Studios for stained-glass installations. Featuring 147 rooms and suites, the star of the largest one is an indoor pool, a holdover from the YWCA days. Photo by The Ingalls