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By Tara Mastrelli
Photography by Amy Price
Though usually accompanied by fond travel memories, youth hostels do conjure up some unpleasant thoughts: bike chains securing backpacks to sleepy travelers, the sound of flip-flops heading to the shower, and the feel of scratchy sheets and blankets after a long day of exploring. So when two large white faux-marble dogs flanking a bright orange front desk greet weary travelers at Stay, a youth hostel/boutique hotel hybrid in downtown Los Angeles, guests know they're in for something new entirely.
"We had no design directive other than 'make this work in our budget for people on a budget,'" says designer Amy Price, who, along with Catherine Coan, was brought in by Bill Lanting to breathe new life into a failing landmark hotel. When Lanting, a self-proclaimed hotel doctor, took over operations of the 600-room Cecil in late 2007, his solution was to split it into two concepts (complete with separate entrances): a 240-room mid-priced hotel on floors seven through fifteen, and a tourist hotel targeted to the younger set on the lower floors.
The designers strove to keep the integrity of the building's early 20th-century construction. "The hotel is, as were many of its time, a system of rooms with bathrooms and rooms without (which share bathrooms)," notes Price. "We emerged from meetings with the idea of a boutique hotel/youth hostel hybrid that would be snappy, unique, and financially accessible." To keep things accessible, Stay offers a menu approach to its 138 rooms; guests can choose from a wide array of room types and amenities, from private rooms with private baths to shared rooms with shared baths down the hall (accessed via keycard), and for the ultimate in basic needs, dorm-style rooms, which include just a bed and a locker.
Bright colors, minimal furnishings, and high-tech amenities combine to create the vibe. Bright orange pops against a neutral palette of white and cornflower blue, and backlit flower walls in the lobby and guestrooms "give a touch of the urban garden to each room," Price says. "I love seeing travelers appreciate the spaces," she says. "It's nice to see someone 'ooh' and 'ahh' over something they thought might be just another youth hostel."
Next up: Lanting hopes to expand the brand internationally, starting locally with Southern California.
www.thehotelmd.com; www.stay-hotels.net
SOURCE LIST FOR STAY, LOS ANGELES
Owner/Architecture Firm/Interior Design Firm/Contractor: Lanting Hotel Group, Los Angeles
Interior Design Project Team: Catherine Coan, concept designer, and Amy Price, project designer
Landscape: Le Petit Gardenia, Inc.
LOBBY
White Leather Sofa/White Leather Chairs/Coffee Table: Ikea
Orange Hand-Shaped Chair: handshapedchairs.com
Reception Desk: Peccowood
Acrylic Desks and White Desk Chairs: CB2
Flower Wall Installed by Anbrima Exhibits LLC
Chandeliers: DLD Lighting
Rug: Hollywood Love Rugs
GUESTROOMS
Bunk Beds and Queen and Twin Platform Beds: Pacific Manufacturing
Nightstands/Bedding/Desks/Chairs/Overhead Desk Lamp: Ikea
Flower Wall Installed by Anbrima Exhibits LLC
Carpet: The New Patcraft & Designweave
Shutters: Blinds R Us
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Hip Hostel
Feb 18, 2009Photography by Amy Price
Though usually accompanied by fond travel memories, youth hostels do conjure up some unpleasant thoughts: bike chains securing backpacks to sleepy travelers, the sound of flip-flops heading to the shower, and the feel of scratchy sheets and blankets after a long day of exploring. So when two large white faux-marble dogs flanking a bright orange front desk greet weary travelers at Stay, a youth hostel/boutique hotel hybrid in downtown Los Angeles, guests know they're in for something new entirely.
The designers strove to keep the integrity of the building's early 20th-century construction. "The hotel is, as were many of its time, a system of rooms with bathrooms and rooms without (which share bathrooms)," notes Price. "We emerged from meetings with the idea of a boutique hotel/youth hostel hybrid that would be snappy, unique, and financially accessible." To keep things accessible, Stay offers a menu approach to its 138 rooms; guests can choose from a wide array of room types and amenities, from private rooms with private baths to shared rooms with shared baths down the hall (accessed via keycard), and for the ultimate in basic needs, dorm-style rooms, which include just a bed and a locker.
Next up: Lanting hopes to expand the brand internationally, starting locally with Southern California.
www.thehotelmd.com; www.stay-hotels.net
SOURCE LIST FOR STAY, LOS ANGELES
Owner/Architecture Firm/Interior Design Firm/Contractor: Lanting Hotel Group, Los Angeles
Interior Design Project Team: Catherine Coan, concept designer, and Amy Price, project designer
Landscape: Le Petit Gardenia, Inc.
White Leather Sofa/White Leather Chairs/Coffee Table: Ikea
Orange Hand-Shaped Chair: handshapedchairs.com
Reception Desk: Peccowood
Acrylic Desks and White Desk Chairs: CB2
Flower Wall Installed by Anbrima Exhibits LLC
Chandeliers: DLD Lighting
Rug: Hollywood Love Rugs
GUESTROOMS
Bunk Beds and Queen and Twin Platform Beds: Pacific Manufacturing
Nightstands/Bedding/Desks/Chairs/Overhead Desk Lamp: Ikea
Flower Wall Installed by Anbrima Exhibits LLC
Carpet: The New Patcraft & Designweave
Shutters: Blinds R Us
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