Downtown Los Angeles’ historic Hotel Figueroa is scheduled to unveil a comprehensive redesign and restoration this December. The hotel is being reimagined, including 268 updated guestrooms and suites; a premiere suite with hidden door access to a private party room; two destination restaurants created by executive chef Casey Lane and four bars conceived by Dushan Zaric; private event venues; and an extensively refurbished pool area.
Hotel Figueroa first opened in 1926 as a women's hostelry by the YWCA. In 1978, Uno Thimansson took over operations of the hotel for the next 36 years. During that time, he transformed the entire property into a Moroccan-themed oasis. In 2014, Hotel Figueroa was purchased by GreenOak Real Estate and Urban Lifestyle Hotel Group (Bradley Hall of Capital Hall Partners and brothers, Jack and Mark van Hartesvelt). In November 2015, the owners worked with Santa Monica-based design agency Studio Collective for Hotel Figueroa’s redesign.
When it reopens, Hotel Figueroa will have 268 guestrooms and suites designed to evoke a modernized historic hotel. Owing to the original floorplan of the building, the hotel will have several different room types. The rooms will be fitted with a combination of custom-designed furnishings and hand-sourced goods. The rooms will have wide plank hardwood floors, plaster walls, bespoke wallpaper, a mix of blackened steel and brushed brass bathroom fittings, and custom decorative tile that will reinforce the hotel’s Spanish design origins.
Hotel Figueroa’s 62 suites will also have artwork from local LA artists. Co-owner Bradley Hall worked with art advisor Tiffiny Lendrum sourcing locally-based artists. Artwork will adorn the hotel’s walls, including commissions by Alison Van Pelt and Sarah Awad, a nod to the property’s female founders and current place in downtown L.A.’s art scene.
Central to the Hotel Figueroa’s reincarnation will be the public spaces that flow from the entrance on Figueroa Street through to the outdoor pool and bar. These spaces have been influenced by the hotel’s Spanish Colonial architecture and the culture of downtown L.A. New York City-based restaurant company APICII partnered with chef Casey Lane on all culinary and beverage concepts for the hotel. Lane will be at the helm of two restaurants at the hotel, Breva, a dining room, and Veranda, an al fresco dining venue.
The property will also have four bars: Bar Figueroa, Bar Alta, Terraza and Rick’s.
Other amenities will include a 10,000 square foot desert-like oasis for guests surrounding the courtyard and downtown L.A.’s only ground-level pool, and a fitness center.
