On July 6, Hilton opened its first-ever California property for Conrad Hotels & Resorts. The 305-room hotel invigorates downtown Los Angeles with a dynamic establishment that immerses guests in the city’s cultural corridor, and offers guests and Angelenos alike the opportunity to experience a state-of-the art spa and two original food and beverage concepts from chef José Andrés and ThinkFoodGroup.
Establishing itself as the new premier destination for luxury hospitality in downtown L.A., Conrad Los Angeles brings to life the vision of renowned interior designer Tara Bernerd & Partners and legendary architect Frank Gehry. Ahead of its opening, Angeleno spoke with Tara Bernerd about the unparalleled project.
The Conrad Los Angeles is your biggest project to date. What does this feat mean to you and your career?
It is extremely exciting to be so close to the opening, there are some nerves of course, as with any launch. Like all my projects, this one is very close to my heart and it represents five years of my life, working with the most amazing team from client side, to the architectural team, to the consultants and of course my own dear team in the office whose dedication must be applauded. As you so rightly say, Conrad Los Angeles is indeed our biggest hotel project to date, set to be a new destination in the heart of the Grand Avenue Arts District and it truly feels like something of a turning point.
You’ve talked about the importance of making a hotel feel like a home away from home. How did you incorporate that in the Conrad L.A.?
The secret here is that I always tend to think of each hotel as if they were my own home. Granted, in this case, a rather large and wonderful home in downtown LA. So the bar is my “living room”, the restaurant “the kitchen/dining room” and so on. This allows us to individualize these elements and, by taking a very layered approach, draw inspiration from the area, the local culture, and the architecture of the building itself. We bring in all these disparate elements to form a harmonious whole.
Then, much like at home, whilst you have local stones or local crafts, you may throw in a character piece of furniture that just speaks to you, and it is this approach that injects that added dash of personality.
Your signature style captures approachable luxury with an industrial edge and timeless elegance. How did you meld your trademark look with the hotel’s promise to offer an elevated Southern California lifestyle experience?
Our designs for Conrad Los Angeles have been influenced by the architecture of L.A., all the stone, glass, tiles and concrete. The design is sophisticated because of the very considered materials, the different furniture and some subtle European touches. We have deliberately kept the design approachable without being stuffy. The tenth floor is the main floor of the hotel.
It is not just a hotel: it is an urban resort and we have worked with the layouts to keep them open with places to explore, much like L.A. itself.
You worked closely with Gehry Partners on this project. Can you tell us more about the collaborative partnership?
It has been a privilege working with Frank Gehry and his team. Whilst many people associate L.A. with Hollywood and its stars, for me, Gehry is one of the real stars. When approaching the interior design, the key here was to ensure that our design, whilst inspired by Gehry’s architecture, was not a pastiche of it. Rather, it was a conversation where we built on some of the themes introduced by the architecture, whilst also bringing in some layers and touches of our own.
The hotel aims to usher downtown Los Angeles hospitality into a new era of modern luxury. How does your design forward that mission?
The hotel belongs to the neighborhood. L.A. is a great cultural mix, not unlike London, but on a larger scale. The design is all about the materiality, from the Ceppo di Gre stone that we’ve used to wrap the lift core to the locally sourced tiles on the bar floor. Each of the bars and counters are finished in a different, yet complimentary stone. Over this has been layered sumptuous rugs and beautiful unexpected fabrics.
Throughout the public spaces, there are pockets and spaces you can escape to. At all times, we have considered the views and vistas, whether it is through to the Walt Disney Concert Hall to one side or L.A. City Hall and courthouse to the other. An eclectic mix of furniture and some striking artwork by notable local artists helps to complete this elevated mood.
What other exciting projects are you looking forward to this year?
2022 is our 20th anniversary and it is proving to be a busy year indeed. Following on from the hugely successful launch of Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale in March, we open Conrad Los Angeles in Summer.
In Hong Kong we continue to work on a number of extremely high end penthouses and a stand-alone home. These are projects we relish, as they really allow us to flex our design “muscles”.
Next year we are looking forward to the reopening of Belmond Maroma, a beautiful resort in Mexico, whilst in Europe Rosewood Munich is due to open. We have also just been awarded some incredible projects, which at this stage I’m not allowed to share!
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Photography by: Courtesy of Conrad Los Angeles
