This month, citizenM – the pioneer of affordable luxury hotels – will open its doors in Los Angeles. citizenM Los Angeles Downtown represents the first of two properties planned for California this year (San Francisco Union Square will follow in October) and signals the company’s ambitious commitment to U.S. expansion, which also includes two hotel openings in Miami later this year.
To mark the brand’s arrival in Los Angeles, citizenM partnered with Downtown Los Angeles photographer Corinne Schiavone to fill the hotel’s windows with polaroid-style portraits of locals, transforming the seven-story property into a public gallery in the days leading up to its opening.
Called citizens of Los Angeles, the photographic campaign captures the diversity and energy of the surrounding community and is meant to spotlight artists, activists, and business owners from the neighborhood. The “citizens” include trans activist and entrepreneur Buck Angel, artists Chris Homes and Kaheem Smith, skateboarding’s favorite twin brothers – Ako and Atiba Jefferson, gallerists Benjamin Lee Ritchie Handler and Danny Fuentes, and Circus of Books director Rachel Mason, among others.
As with all of its hotels, citizenM will bring art to the community through both commissioned and existing works. To give the new property an art collection that felt distinct to Los Angeles, citizenM partnered with independent curator Lauren Mackler, who most recently co-curated the Los Angeles biennial – Made in LA 2020 – at the Hammer Museum. Mackler selected works for the guest rooms that spotlight California-based artists, including Alex Olson, Paul Pescador, Eve Fowler, Alex Chaves, and Kathryn Andrews.
The hotel will also boast an enormous living room mural by Friedrich Kunath, and the communal spaces will feature works from the citizenM collection, which belongs to citizenM Executive Chairman Rattan Chadha. Featured artists from this selection include Gabriella Sanchez, Cory Arcangel, Mario Ayala, Dann Attoe, John Korner, along with video art from The One Minutes Collection. The five societyM meeting rooms will display works by Ren Hang, Caroline Walker, Derrick Adams, Monya Flannigan, and Robin F. Williams; and the vestibule will showcase a Mark Bijl sculpture.
About citizenM Los Angeles Downtown
citizenM Los Angeles Downtown is the first of the brand’s properties to open its doors in both the city and in California. Additional properties planned for 2021 include citizenM San Francisco Union Square (projected opening October 2021), citizenM Miami World Center (projected opening December 2021), citizenM Miami Brickell (projected opening December 2021), and citizenM Washington DC NOMA (projected opening February 2022).
Building upon the brand’s commitment to the United States, these openings will complement the existing citizenM US portfolio in Boston, New York, Seattle, and Washington, DC, bringing the total offering to 10 hotels across the country and 27 worldwide.
citizenM collaborated with its long-time architecture partner, concrete Amsterdam, on the property’s design. Like all citizenM hotels, the property’s entrance leads not into a traditional lobby with a reception desk but into a living room that feels like home: furnished with plenty of books, art and furniture from citizenM’s long-standing partner, Vitra. In the heart of the living room is a canteenM, serving food and drinks 24/7. Most food is sourced nearby, giving even those on a short Los Angeles trip a chance to taste something local.
The 315-room, 11-story hotel offers a gym, five societyM meeting spaces, and a collectionM retail space with an unconventional assortment of travel essentials. The gym is located on the 10th floor and boasts a large terrace with spectacular views, and top-of-the-line equipment including from Peloton.
Rates at citizenM Los Angeles Downton start from $109.
Affordable luxury gets smart with citizenM’s contactless experience
As ever, citizenM’s main goal is to alleviate the health and safety concerns of global travelers. In 2020, citizenM launched its award-winning app for iOS and Android devices, giving guests more control over their stay than ever before.
citizenM’s famous one-minute check-in via the self-service kiosk can now be done via the app on the way to the hotel, and guests can also use their own smartphone to open the room.
The contactless experience continues in the bedrooms. All room controls – lights, blinds, temperature, colour settings, and entertainment – can now be done through the citizenM app, without touching the in-room tablet or wall switches.
Through the app chat function, guests are able to request services like extra pillows and toiletries, report faults in the room and book wake-up calls. Daily food and beverage menus are viewable in the app, with full order-placing functionality as well.
All items available for purchase at the hotel, including collectionM gifts, food, drinks, snacks, books, and travel essentials, can be charged to the room and paid for via the app.
A fully contactless check-out is also available, offering guests the ability to settle any remaining balances through the app.
In addition to the contactless experience, app users can discover local hotspots, unlock local perks, and learn where the best green spaces and running routes are. For convenience, there’s a ‘walking distance’ search filter highlighting attractions that are a short stroll from any citizenM hotel. Guests will enjoy an affordable contact-free hotel stay powered by superior technology. The new standard is smart luxury for all.
