Hotel Per La Los Angeles, a new lifestyle property in Downtown Los Angeles, has officially opened its doors.
Housed in the former Giannini Building built in 1922, which was originally the headquarters of the Bank of Italy, the hotel is the result of a reimagining by HN Capital Partners, and Sage Hospitality Group. The project comprises 241 guestrooms and suites, as well as grand public spaces, including 10,000ft2 of event space, a main restaurant and bar, a daytime café, and a rooftop bar offering poolside drinks and dramatic views of the LA skyline.
A nod to the building’s storied beginning as a bank for the people, the Per La name translates to “for the” in Italian. Its founder, Amadeo Pietro Giannini, believed in the dignity and abilities of those commonly overlooked, signifying the hotel’s inclusive spirit and name, essentially meaning “for Los Angeles, and people like you.”
The 12-storey property retains the building’s signature architectural features, while enhancing the guest experience through grand, yet playful public spaces, and new F&B concepts designed to encourage communal environment in the midst of the city’s bustling downtown.
Much of the building’s Neoclassical style, such as its Doric columns, ornate gold and blue ceiling and marble floors, have been preserved in Hotel Per La’s public spaces and incorporated alongside a new playful and approachable design reflective of the city’s diversity of cultures and characters. Reimagined by local Los Angeles interior designer Jaqui Seerman, contemporary furnishings, airy linens, amorphic lighting and pops of bright colours that feel distinctively LA are woven throughout the open public spaces and flooded by California sunshine. The space features commissioned art, while many of the furnishings and décor were sourced from local LA artisans, including decorative wall lighting from Downtown LA’s Edition Modern, hand-painted pots by Pasadena-based artist Jill Spector, and hand-thrown ceiling lights created by LA-based ceramist and lighting designer Neptune Glass.
Designed by French architect and designer Jacques Garcia, each of the 241 rooms and suites look to Italy for inspiration. The colour palette is drawn from the property’s fully restored gold and blue Italianate ceiling located in the lobby. Each room is appointed with custom designed furnishings such as antique Persian rugs in saturated, vibrant colours, and artwork from Paris and New York-based design studio Saint Lazare, sourcing vintage art pieces from antique stores throughout the globe, combined with various collections from Portraits de Villes, as well as original photographs and illustrations from commissioned artists.
The rooms also feature a marble writing desk with settee, Tivoli Bluetooth radio clocks, and large flat screen televisions, while the European-style bathrooms are complete with Terrazzo floored walk-in showers with luxury bath amenities from Argan Perfume d’arganier, with many rooms also featuring freestanding pedestal bathtubs.
Per L’Ora, the hotel’s neighbourhood restaurant, introduces Italian cuisine through a lens of Los Angeles culture and flavours. With spirited, easy-going Italian light bites and dishes, Per L’Ora offers an inviting space, evoking the comforting familiarity of feeling at home, while anchored in restaurant traditions of an old-school lobby rendered with a modern twist.
The main dining area features a light colour palate, with early-aughts inspired design elements favoured by organic, elegant forms, such as airy linens and botanical patterns, with relaxed slipcovered seating and a racetrack-shaped communal dining table in punchy marigold balancing function and glamour. Reupholstered furniture was given a new life in shades of cream and white, alongside a number of dramatic accent pieces: tables are covered by light marble; wallpaper with abstract shapes has given new energy to the space’s bookcases layered with California-inspired and sourced terracotta and pottery; and dramatic light fixtures with curved lines create a warm glow in the evening. The bar of the restaurant acts as a dramatic centrepiece, with a custom-made marble top in shades of green, grey, and white, and globe-shaped light fixtures, while custom white plasterwork on the front of the bar offers a new sense of texture.
The opening of Per L’Ora also coincides with a new welcoming coffee shop and market, Café Ora, modelled after a famous Venice coffeehouse, complete with a Gio Ponti Italian Murano Chandelier and a hand painted ceiling by New York based Dean Barger. Café Ora features a rotating selection of local roasters, breakfast pastries, grab and go items, and homemade gelato, along with retail products including a selection of locally made goods, like CBD products and dog treats, in addition to an approachable wine shelf and ready-to-drink cocktails.
The hotel is also home to Bar Clara, a more casual rooftop bar with sweeping cityscape views, offering poolside drinks, from vibrant cocktails to a carefully curated wine list, along with Mediterranean-inspired fare, all inspired by the herbal and citrus surroundings in the rooftop’s foliage. Paying homage to its namesake Claire Giannini, the first woman to serve on the bank’s board who broke barriers in social class and gender, the rooftop celebrates both the building’s history and Downtown Los Angeles today, offering a versatile environment for poolside lounging, afterwork drinks, and live collaborations with local musicians and culture makers.
A member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Per La also features a variety of indoor and outdoor public spaces for hosting events from 12 to 850 people, from a lush courtyard on the second floor to various intimate and larger settings throughout the ground floor, mezzanine, and rooftop.
“We conceived of Hotel Per La quite literally for the people of DTLA and their guests,” reveals Jeremy Selman, Operating Partner at HN Capital Partners. “We wanted to create a place that truly represented the cultural and creative richness of this part of town where our neighbours and travellers could feel both at home and also immersed in all that makes Downtown LA special, while still celebrating the unbelievable canvas that the building and its history afforded us.”
“Our goal is to cultivate new and exciting experiences within the walls of all our properties, and to have an impact within the communities where they reside,” explains Walter Isenberg, President and CEO of Sage Hospitality Group. “This property is no different in that we will cultivate a guest experience reflective of Downtown LA, true to the depth of hospitality inspiration that the city provides, and we will apply our nearly 40 years of operational excellence to enliven the overall guest experience.”
