CSQ Downtown Hotel Guide
JW Marriott at L.A. Live
The Hotel That (Literally) Means Business
900 West Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90015
213/765.8600
This glittering, newly-opened property, Siamese-twinned with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences, is emblematic of how Downtown L.A. is being reshaped by the new businesses and technologies that have moved in. Owned by Los Angeles-based AEG, developers of the $2.5 billion/4 million square foot L.A. LIVE, and MacFarlane Partners, the spectacular 878-room property is in the process of being LEED-certified and stands as the tallest mix-use building in Downtown Los Angeles. Besides its proximity to L.A. Live, it is also a stone’s throw away from our city’s political, financial, and corporate seats. The hotel is also home to L.A. Market, created by Kerry Simon, who amped up the West Hollywood/Beverly Hills border dining corridor a few years ago with Simon LA. Hosting a large conference? Take advantage of the hotel’s 100,000 square feet of meeting and event space (three ballrooms, nine ancillary meeting rooms, and three boardrooms) and some of the city’s most spectacular views.
Millennium Biltmore
Heritage Hospitality
506 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
213/624.1011
For more than 85 years, celebrities, presidents, and dignitaries have passed through the hallowed halls of the Millennium Biltmore, which has successfully balanced its historic grandeur with the needs of business travelers and architecture buffs. Classically designed in a European style that echoes hotels of the same period in New York, Chicago, Washington, and Boston, the 683-room property also offers a Roman-style indoor swimming pool and health club. Those looking for a memorable space for their next large-scale conference should ask about the landmark Biltmore Bowl which hosted eight Academy Award ceremonies in the 1930s and ‘40s, and the Crystal Room. The Millennium Biltmore also features nine breakout meeting spaces, an executive boardroom suite, and carpeted exhibit space, totaling approximately 70,000 square feet. Full on-site audio/visual capabilities and a professional catering staff are available to ensure efficiency from start to finish.
The Kyoto Grand
Local Color Meets Asian Flavor
120 South Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213/629.1200
Although The Kyoto Grand is still undergoing some refinements, the property shows promise, thanks to an aesthetic that blends dark woods with red, black, and white accents. Plush bedding, an ergonomic work area, and in-room conveniences, such as wireless Internet access, are standard amenities in each of the 434 guest rooms, including 20 suites. While the hotel’s gardens provide a relaxing respite from business meetings and appointments, it is good to know the hotel has a free shuttle service that stops at popular attractions and sites within a three-mile radius. The hotel itself rests in Little Tokyo, one of L.A.’s most interesting neighborhoods and a gold-mine for udon, tempura and sushi enthusiasts.
The O Hotel
Urban Oasis
819 South Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213/623.9904
Anybody interested in experiencing the Downtown L.A. area’s renaissance first-hand should book a room at the O Hotel, the first independent boutique hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. The former Orchid Hotel, built in the 1920s, has been retooled and forged into a chic installation that blends a mix of New York/SoHo loft-apartment glamour and easy walks or cab rides to the bars and restaurants making L.A. cool again. The property also features 67 sleekly appointed rooms as well as free lobby Wi-Fi, a charmingly homey Cattleva meeting room, O Bar & Kitchen (the acclaimed on-property Mediterranean and tapas restaurant), and complimentary use of Gold’s Gym.
The Omni Downtown
The Home of Reinvention
251 South Olive Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213/617.3300
Thanks to its past designation as L.A.’s only “Four Diamond” property and the presence of the award-winning Noé Restaurant, the Omni was at the top of the heap for many years. With new hotels coming in, it is now upping the ante with a full-blown rethinking and reimagining that will transform it to a “Five Diamond” property that will keep it moving ahead of the curve. That said, some things will remain the same, including its proximity to Los Angeles’ cultural complex that includes the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theater, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.
What’s Next?
Luxe City Center
The transformation of the old City Center Hotel to Downtown L.A.’s newest boutique hotel jewel nicely reflects changes taking place throughout the entire area. Following in the graceful footsteps of its sister West Side properties, the Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel and the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, blends small hotel intimacy with everything one would want in a centrally located business hotel. The hotel’s Figueroa Street location is a stone’s throw from all of the cultural, culinary and entertainment destinations that have played their own role in bringing Downtown into the 21st century.
