Here's Looking at You, Hotel Figueroa

You’re a social butterfly for whom quality conversation with friends is life’s greatest treasure. You have so many memories of life-changing conversations by the glistening pool at the Hotel Figueroa, you felt robbed when the hotel closed for renovations two years ago. Memories of those nights have haunted your dreams ever since - but now, following a total refresh by design team Studio Collective, the Figueroa is finally back, with 268 redone rooms, its beloved outdoor pool revamped, two restaurants, and five bars.

Last night, the Figueroa came to you in a dream again, in its new form. You were transported to one of the new signature suites—the evocatively named Parador, Casablanca, Figueroa, Cabaña, El Rey, La Reyna and Mirador—homages to the hotel’s Spanish Colonial wood beams, arches, and columns.

You look out onto the view of Figueroa Street, and imagine what it must have been like when the hotel first opened in 1926, and the street was known as Calle de Las Chapules, or Grasshopper Street. Built by the Young Women’s Christian Association, the hotel was the largest project to be built, financed, owned and operated by women and was advertised as “an ideal stopping place for ladies unattended.”

You glide down to the beautiful Spanish Colonial style lobby, and make your way to the pool - a place filled with memories for you. Even though you know you’re dreaming, you daren’t pinch yourself. There are two poolside bars - the tropical-inspired Rick's, and the offers more specialized beverages alongside the all-day restaurant, Veranda. You overhear one of the servers talk about plans to plant a garden on the roof, where artists will be able to paint and write among the herbs and vegetables. You make a mental note to remember this when you wake up.

A myriad of possible excursions await in Downtown L.A.—this is a dream, and you want to lose yourself in color. So you go to the Fashion District, which boasts the largest concentration of textiles stores in the country. Silks, wools, leathers and lace, two hundred shades of the rainbow just a few blocks from Hotel Figueroa.

You skip back to the hotel around dinner time and find yourself in that sensual culinary heaven called Breva, where James Beard Award nominee, Executive Chef Casey Lane regales you with the flavors of the Basque region of Spain. Whole grilled branzino, Huntington ribeye and whole chicken tagine. Farm to table, sea to table, seasonal and locally-sourced, fish from DTLA Marine Products and steaks dry-aged by Huntington Meats. This may be the best dream you’ve ever had.

You think about an after-dinner drink at the lobby lounge, Bar Figueroa but beg yourself not to wake up as you hear the laughter coming from the mezzanine. In the 1920s it was a bar with a dedicated writing salon, complete with stenographer. Now named Bar Alta, it’s a world-class cocktail experience where a table of your best and most beautiful friends await you with a nightcap, and conversation so poetic, you awake in the morning unsure as to why you’re smiling so hard.

Hotel Figueroa
939 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles 90015
(877) 724-1973