Here’s a Peek Inside the Newly Redone Hotel Figueroa

The Moroccan theme is gone

By Jenna Chandler@jennakchandler Jul 26, 2016, 4:24pm PDT

Once distinguished by its Moroccan decor, Hotel Figueroa in Downtown has taken on a new look that’s contemporary, traditional, and a little bit Spanish.

Built in 1925 as a YWCA, the property turned into a hotel during the Great Depression, catering exclusively to women travelers and their families. About 15 years ago, the hotel’s last operator sought to stand out by adding the Moroccan theme — deep reds and oranges, metal lanterns, sari fabrics, canopy beds:

The hotel, near LA Live, changed ownership in 2014, and last fall embarked on a year’s worth of restoration work and renovations. Judging by the photos the hotel’s PR team shared with Curbed, it certainly looks a lot more chic and a lot brighter now.

"The Moroccan was not authentic, it was beautiful, don’t get me wrong," general manager Clay Andrews told Curbed. "But it was not an honest decor for Los Angeles. We concluded that restoring it to its old grandeur would be the way to go."

And, by that, he means letting its original Spanish Colonial stylings shine: The wood beams, arches, and columns.

The hotel is scheduled to reopen this fall with 17 fewer rooms but with expanded bathrooms and 57 new suites. A second restaurant and a fourth bar were added. New windows will help mute street noise, which was hotel guests' chief complaint, Andrews said. At some point, he adds, they’ll plant a garden on the roof, "where artists can paint and write, where we’ll grow fresh herbs and vegetables."