Frommer's Review
With an artistic eye and a heartfelt commitment to creating exotic, whimsical, and oh-so-anti-corporate-style accommodations, charming owner Uno Thimansson has transformed a 1925-vintage former YWCA residence into one of L.A.'s best moderately priced hotels and my top pick for affordable Downtown lodging. This venerable 12-story property sits in an increasingly gentrified corner of Downtown, within shouting distance of the ever-growing L.A. LIVE entertainment complex. The big, airy lobby exudes a romantic Spanish Colonial-Gothic vibe with beamed ceilings and fans, Moroccan chandeliers, soaring columns, tile flooring, and medieval-style furnishings such as big floor pillows made of Kurdish grain sacks, Persian kilims, and exotic fabrics draped from the ceiling. Elevators lead to equally artistic guest rooms that, although poorly lit, are very comfortable. Each comes with a firm, well-made bed with a wrought-iron headboard or canopy and a Georgia O'Keeffe-reminiscent spread, a Mexican-tiled bathroom, and East Asian fabrics that double as blackout drapes. My favorite room is no. 1130, a large double-queen-size with a Spanish terra-cotta print chaise, but you can't go wrong with any room. The Casablanca Suite is a Moroccan pleasure den, ideal for romance. Out back you'll find a desert-garden deck with a mosaic-tiled pool and Jacuzzi, and the Verandah Bar, the poolside place to go on warm Southern California nights for a minty mojito and chat with fellow travelers from around the world.
Facilities:
Restaurant; bar; outdoor pool area w/lounge chairs and Jacuzzi; laundry service; dry cleaning
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
