Downtown Los Angeles Proper Hotel - Hotel Review

Opened in October 2021, the Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel is a maximalist celebration of artisans, texture, colour and high taste. Acclaimed designer Kelly Wearstler preserves details from the circa-1926 California Renaissance Revivalist building while injecting one-of-a-kind art and furniture by local creatives into this 147-room property. It’s a curation that rivals even the top Los Angeles galleries.

Where is the Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel?

This historic Broadway corridor landmark can be reached via a 30-minute Uber from LAX. Entertainment mecca Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center) is just 10 minutes away on foot, while shoppers will love nearby retail centre ROW DTLA.

Room types

Across the 147 rooms (including 10 suites), Wearstler creates a home-away-from-home feeling – if your home was big on artistic flair. Room 1403 is a Premier King View, located on the highest guestroom floor with stunning city views across the top of the historic Herald Examiner building. The most impressive suites pay homage to the building’s history (it was once a YWCA). There’s the apartment-style Pool Suite, an expansive open-plan space centred around a private indoor swimming pool, and the Basketball Court Suite on the site of the former club’s court (it retains the double-height ceilings).

Restaurants and bars

An eclectic group of creative professionals, business leaders and local Angelenos flock to the hotel’s rooftop bar and restaurant Cara Cara for lunch through to after dark. Portuguese chourico focaccia is the most popular dish here, while few can go past the Passionfruit Caipirinha with mezcal cocktail. Caldo Verde restaurant serves up small plates that fuse Portuguese, Spanish and Southern Californian flavours (order the sea bream with potatoes in citrus and truffle butter).

Travel for work

With Apple TV in every room, guests can extend their workspace by broadcasting to the TV as an additional monitor. The property also boasts stylised pockets in every corner for envy-inducing WFH(otel) virtual meets.

Spa and gym

Linus bikes are available to pedal the vibrant streets of the surrounding Fashion District, while yogis can bend and stretch in complimentary Sunday morning classes hosted on the hotel’s sun-drenched rooftop deck. Peloton fans can connect with their favourite instructor from three bikes situated in the hotel’s well-appointed 24-hour gymnasium. Order the Diosa Verde smoothie on Caldo Verde’s breakfast menu for post-session sustenance.

Sustainability

In a bid to minimise single-use plastics, this hotel opts for boxed water in place of plastic bottles and says no to “minis”, instead partnering with Australian luxury lifestyle brand Aesop to place refillable shower essentials in every guestroom.

What you need to know

For interiors-lovers, there are hundreds of chairs throughout the property to recline in and admire. Look for the carved vintage pieces on the 11th Street corridor, wood-and-leather Lostine barstools in The Pool Suite and red Adrian Pearsall chairs in the Premier Corner Suite.  

SEE ALSO: Read Before You Leave – Los Angeles