That millions should have been sunk into the conversion of a YWCA in a former no-go area of Los Angeles to create a luxury hotel says as much about the changing face of the city as it does about the LA Proper itself.
The latter styles itself as a hotel chain for “creative nomads”, who might well feel intrepid enough to brave the easternmost extremes of downtown Los Angeles, long a venue for theatre and concert halls, but now also home to an Arts District fielding world-class galleries and street art.
This latest of three Proper hotels in California, the design concept is a world away from the minimalism of its neighbour in sedate Santa Monica, which came on the scene several years ago.
By contrast, DTLA Proper — as it styles itself — is a blaze of colour, its spectacular hand-painted lobby more redolent of Mexico than the USA, and perhaps a tribute to nearby Olvera Street, part of the settlement established 200 years ago, when California was still part of Mexico.
Once you get upstairs, the hotel is more reminiscent of one of the uber-hip Ace hotels, thanks to its retro industrial American vibe.
Rooms are dimly lit with wood floors, factory-style windows and the dado rails popular before the Second World War. Fabrics like the ticking covering our upholstered headboard made me think of the kind of material used on mid-century bus seats.
Room at the LA Proper hotel (Photo: The Ingalls)
US designer Kelly Wearstler has been at work on the 147 rooms and bathrooms, making them feel warm and homey with a subdued palette of greys and mauves.
Bathrooms have huge walk-in showers lined with artisanal tiles, and along with the full-size bottles of covetable Aesop toiletries attached to the shower wall, there are takeaway boxes of mini versions too, not to mention beautiful robes for in-room lounging.
Two suites pay homage to the basketball court and indoor swimming pool of the days when the building was a YWCA — before that, it was a private arts club with such august members as Cecil B de Mille.
Today there’s an outdoor swimming pool on the roof, with a casual dining deck and sweeping city skyline views.
The downstairs dining-room is bright, airy and looked inviting, but we were dying for a taste of Jewish deli, available a five-minute drive away at Grand Central. The former Mexican food market is now a dining hall filled with stalls offering multiple cuisines, including the aforementioned deli counter at Wexler’s.
The hotel is a great base to make the most of the area’s visual art too: reborn as DTLA, Downtown is home to the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA and the Broad, another magnificent contemporary art museum, while Hauser & Wirth, the largest private gallery space in the world, is just a short drive away in the regenerated area knowns as the Arts District. Add in a walking tour of the district to discover its street art, peppering the walls between artist lofts and galleries, for the perfect mix of edgy style and culture.
Rates
Rooms cost from around £265. properhotel.com/downtown-la
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