On the heels of Downtown Los Angeles’ recent hospitality boom, another trendy neighborhood in LA is experiencing its own resurgence. Known for its buzzy nightlife scene and nearly $2 billion tourism industry, West Hollywood is where people go to see and be seen. In recent years, its hotel market has been bubbling over with design-led offerings such as Kimpton’s La Peer hotel (featuring an opulent design from Gulla Jónsdóttir Architecture & Design) joining iconic mainstays like glamorous celebrity haunt the Chateau Marmont. Indeed, West Hollywood is returning to its former glory with the help of a few coveted, high-end brands that are popping up along the Sunset Strip.
West Hollywood EDITION
Greenery frames the entrance of the West Hollywood EDITION’s signature restaurant Ardor
It was 1996 when Ian Schrager converted a midcentury Sunset Boulevard apartment building into the Mondrian Los Angeles hotel. Now, he’s returned to the fabled strip with the 140-room EDITION, crowned with 20 residences and designed by venerated London architect John Pawson. “There is always room for another original hotel,” says Schrager of planting the EDITION flag on the West Coast for the first time. “Any time is the right time when the right opportunity is there, and of course, we love LA and Sunset Boulevard.”
The bar at Ardor in the West Hollywood EDITION offers a moodier ambiance
Located on the site of the former Rat Pack-era restaurant Scandia, the hotel is an ode to Sunset Boulevard’s prominent pop culture role. “In the ’60s and ’70s, it was packed with [people] from all over the world and music was blaring from [all of] the nightclubs that were here,” says Schrager. “It’s one of the only places in LA that has a street life, and what came out of here was the music of a whole generation. It was as culturally significant as Studio 54 was to New York in the late ’70s.”
Natural materials sit under a lush canopy at Ardor’s terrace in the West Hollywood EDITION
To showcase this timelessness, Pawson embraced materials including western red cedar, Italian travertine, and whitewashed Siberian larch. An installation by local artist Sterling Ruby weaves in industrial objects that also capture the Strip’s gritty essence.
1 Hotel West Hollywood
A one-bedroom suite at 1 Hotel West Hollywood offers skyline views
Further down Sunset is the 286-room 1 Hotel West Hollywood, the latest outpost of Starwood Capital Group’s sustainable luxury brand, the brainchild of chairman and CEO Barry Sternlicht. Conceived by AvroKO and the in-house design team, the design nods to the American Arts and Crafts Movement of the 20th century. Arash Azarbarzin, president at Starwood Capital Group’s management arm, SH Hotels & Resorts, says the property reflects a mix of Sternlicht’s holistic design vision with influences “from the land, sea, and abundant sunshine of Southern California, anchored by raw materials, including concrete, earthen plaster, and stone.”
A rooftop pool crowns the 1 Hotel West Hollywood
Throughout, the muted palette is bolstered by splashes of green from a bevy of indoor plants and locally crafted pieces made with reclaimed cedar, oak, and alder. Striving for as much natural light as possible, custom fixtures were designed to “feel like sunlight streaming through the trees in some places,” says Azarbarzin. “Through biophilic design, we showcase the beauty of nature and hope to inspire our guests to reconnect with it. Every element was curated with the intention to raise awareness and spark conversations.”
Pendry West Hollywood
A rendering of the rooftop restaurant at the Pendry West Hollywood
Practically next door to the 1 Hotel, the Pendry West Hollywood by Montage Hotels & Resorts will open this summer, combining 149 guestrooms and 40 residences. A relaxed California mindset coupled with a glamorous Hollywood vibe responds to the Pendry personality, expressed in London- and New York-based Martin Brudnizki Design Studio’s understated look. “To inflect the spirit of Old Hollywood, we used materials such as antique mirrors, high-gloss timber paneling, monochrome marble, and brass, while statement chandeliers harken back to the sets of iconic productions and shows,” says founder Brudnizki, who married these details with a palette of navy blue and dusty pink.
“West Hollywood has evolved over the years and is currently experiencing something of a revival,” he says. “People from art, film, music, and design have long been drawn to the neighborhood. We have worked with this layered narrative to create a modern icon that will add to the region’s story.”
This article originally appeared in HD’s February 2020 issue.
