Two hotels in one: New dual-branded property shakes up Downtown LA

Moxy (pictured) and AC hotels also share a public cultural hub.Credit: Moxy LA

Downtown Los Angeles has undergone a huge transformation over the past two-and-a-bit decades and that’s set to continue as the wider city gets ready for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Efforts for change were instigated in the early 2000s, but before that, the LA central business district was a place where people ensconced in office towers by day and avoided at night.

Residential development and reclamation of once languishing historic buildings have created new 24-hour life – though visitors should not be misled into believing Downtown LA is without danger entirely; no-go zones remain throughout. (If in doubt, Google or ask concierge.)

The latest game-changer in the area is a dual-branded hotel development right across the road from the home of the LA Lakers and venue for the Los Angeles concerts of Madonna’s Celebration Tour later this year, Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center).

Moxy Downtown Los Angeles and AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles inhabit a new 37-storey tower on the corner of South Figueroa and Pico streets designed by architecture firm Gensler. The bottom eight floors are like a podium on which two towers in an L-configuration sit and their exterior is covered by a 1400-square-metre electronic billboard, the biggest on the US West Coast.

Both hotels inhabit a new 37-storey tower in the heard of Downtown LA. Pictured: Moxy Downtown LA.Credit: Moxy LA

But it’s the property’s Level 8, spanning both hotels, that’s likely to attract locals and other non-hotel guests. Developed by Mark and Jonnie Houston of Houston Hospitality, known for their hugely popular restaurants and bars across LA, the floor, with its own dedicated entrance, is home to eight distinct dining, drinking, and entertainment venues.

With a total of 727 guestrooms, the interiors of the two hotels are designed by famed firm, Yabu Pushelberg with each of the Marriott-family inns having distinct character.

The 380-key Moxy features a playful aesthetic with small but smart rooms and plenty of intriguing public areas.

The more business-minded AC Hotel, with its 347 guest rooms, offers “an elevated hotel experience at an accessible rate” with the Madrid-born brand’s signature AC lounge and AC kitchen joined by a 34th floor tapas bar with views of the Hollywood Hills.

“We always think hard about the sociology and strategy around design, how it affects people and how it makes them feel connected to something,” says Glenn Pushelberg, co-founder of Yabu Pushelberg along with George Yabu.

“Moxy and AC are different brands, but both appeal to travellers who don’t want to stay in a conventional hotel… so the design can’t be generic.”

Moxy Downtown LA is inspired in part by Easy Rider, the classic 1969 counterculture film.

In contrast, AC Hotel Downtown LA softly references the Latin heritage of Los Angeles.

Moxy and AC’s own eateries and bars add to a total of 12 under the one roof and when Level 8 opens (very soon) it will include cocktail lounge Mr. Wanderlust, South American fire grill Que Barbaro, and French-Japanese teppanyaki diner Maison Kasai, as well as Sinners y Santos, a cathedral-inspired nightclub with a hidden speakeasy entrance.

See Marriott.com