Short Stories Hotel
📍Los Angeles
For our Neighbourhood Stays series we uncover hotels and boutique boltholes that ooze style and personality whilst celebrating local. In this instalment we check into a reimagined escape in West Hollywood…
Neighbourhood: Just across the road from The Grove shopping district in West Hollywood, this is one of the few Los Angeles hotels where you can get around by foot. The Original Farmer's Market and CBS Studios are a stone’s throw away whilst cultural highlights such as the LACMA Museum district and the West 3rd Street Shopping District are about a 10-minute stroll away.
What to expect: A buzzy, design-driven space that is making a tasteful mark on its culturally vibrant neighbourhood.
Community and ambience: Conceived by Los Angeles born and raised hotelier Leo Grifka of Grifka Group, the boutique bolthole is set on introducing a new hotel, dining space and members club concept to the area; one that is rooted in its sense of place while collaborating with local creatives to pay homage to the history of its 1960s building.
Design details: Grifka collaborated with once-upon-a-time school friend Kevin Klein to bring his colourful vision to life. The brief was a “cultured California-contemporary” aesthetic fused with European touches. There is a warmth to the harmonious palette of bright terrazzo, merged with stained woods and marble offset by a powerful pop of lush greenery.
In the lobby pink checkered marble flooring is paired with Venetian plaster on the walls and a swirl-shaped pastel blue couch forms a fabulous centrepiece. A courtyard oasis, envisioned as a secret garden sanctuary by landscape gurus Rolling Greens, is home to beautiful Rhus Lancea trees dotted with lights which twinkle as the sun sets. A rather lovely stone fountain glistens as the rays hit it and you can’t miss the living green wall next to the pool. Pasadena artist Kenton Nelson has his works on display throughout the property.
On the menu: Chef Ariel Malone fuses Mediterranean and Southern American influences with ingredients sourced from nearby butchers, farms and dairies. The Original Farmer's Market, where a lot of the produce stems from, is handily just across the road from the hotel. Wines, craft beers and spirits also have an emphasis on the region's makers such as Calirosa Tequila. The signature drink on the historically inspired cocktail menu is the rather aptly named California Love; a twist on the Margarita.
Spa experiences: There may not be a spa but the obligatory LA heated pool is a fun spot to lounge or take a dip.
Rates: Rooms start from around $300 per night. Members of Club Rapport receive a special rate and perks on arrival. Enquire via info@clubrapport.com. Browse shortstorieshotels.com.