The 286-key boutique hotel, located on the iconic Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, rises from the southeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard. Originally designed as The James, and subsequently rebranded as The Jeremy and then 1 Hotel West Hollywood, the 388,000-square-foot, two-tower complex includes two restaurants, a private rooftop lounge, pool deck, lobby bar, public space, and a variety of meeting areas, including a main ballroom and pre-function space. The hotel was designed in conjunction with the neighboring Sunset La Cienega Residences. Both projects meet West Hollywood’s Green Building Program requirements.
The angular massing of the Sunset La Cienega Hotel’s two towers is derived from the complex geometry of the steeply sloping site. A cantilever buttress wall allows the buildings to reach over a seismic setback and capture area needed for public space, a ballroom, and pool deck. Fine aluminum fins clad the layered tower facades, allowing for discrete mechanical ventilation while creating a subdued backdrop for large billboards that contribute to the vibrant commercial energy of the Sunset Strip.
An outdoor passageway connects Sunset Boulevard to a terraced amphitheater that offers sweeping views of the Los Angeles Basin. From the boulevard, cars enter the property and drive down to an open-air dropoff and valet area. A grand staircase cascades from street level to the lobby, where a generous landing at mid-level connects to the east and west prefunction areas that serve the main ballroom. The lower level lobby features two double-height areas that bring light into the space and connect multiple levels.
The hotel interiors recall both the rock-and-roll legacy of the Sunset Strip and the archetypal home of the Hollywood Hills, with ample daylighting, scenic views, casual groupings of custom furniture, and access to the outdoors. Concrete ceilings and floors that celebrate the site’s context are tempered by refined materials such as walnut and silicon bronze. Carefully detailed wood wall panels, as well as custom light fixtures and furniture, provide contemporary references to Los Angeles’ legacy of midcentury design.
Artwork permeates every space in the hotel, from small curated objects in guestrooms to murals and sculptures in common areas. SOM collaborated with artist Janet Echelman to create a 65-foot-tall public artwork, titled “The Dream Catcher,” suspended between the hotel’s two towers. The fiber netting structure celebrates the pursuit of dreams and is a conceptual representation of brainwave activity that occurs during sleep and dreaming.
