Ginny on July 15, 2008, at 06:13PM – #1

Ahh...my little brother can "Stay" there when he's in town. He will love it!

Benjamin Pezzillo on July 15, 2008, at 07:27PM – #2

This explains the new storefront. I have observed an increasing number of European tourists staying at the hotel since new management took over last year as well as Internet marketing efforts priced for the budget traveler. An interesting approach to rebranding.

Brigham on July 16, 2008, at 03:26AM – #3

I'm very glad to see this concept introduced to DTLA. I've met my fair share of stranded travelers in other parts of LA wondering how to navigate this sprawling city without the extensive subway system. Having more hostels and hotels downtown will mean visitors will have easier access to mass transit and be able to get around most of the major destinations of LA with ease.

Plus, I have to admit this Stay concept is also very hip and would be something I would expect to see in another city like Paris or London. I hope this will help make the intersection of 7th/Main a heck of a lot safer as travelers and others help sustain a more stronger retail presence.

Scott Mercer on July 16, 2008, at 08:40AM – #4

Get ready from a lawsuit from some community homeless advocacy organization who would rather have local street residents living in here instead of Klaus from Hamburg. Could be trouble. Just to be clear, I'd rather that Klaus from Hamburg be staying there, but more places for the homeless are a dire need in the area as well.

David Kennedy on July 16, 2008, at 10:09AM – #5

I'm glad you posted this. A few weeks back, there was an extended discussion on TripAdvisor.com in the Los Angeles forum about the Cecil. A traveller from Paris was asking about the Stay Hotel. Clearly, everyone discussing the place was completely misinformed. So I linked this post in that discussion.

The question which came up after I shared this information is how do the hotel guests and the other residents mix? Is it safe? One contributor had actually stayed at the Cecil a few years ago and found it a harrowing and dangerous experience. Despite this change, he wasn't comfortable recommending the Cecil.

Go Los Angeles Card on July 16, 2008, at 10:48AM – #7

I love the branding on this hotel. Very catchy colors.

Looks like a real fun place to stay.

CJ on July 16, 2008, at 11:42AM – #8

“Stay” is a laughable ploy by the Cecil Hotel to shed its SRO status with the City. Tisk, tisk.

AF on July 16, 2008, at 12:02PM – #9

Loved it and the price. I felt very safe.

Don Garza on July 16, 2008, at 12:10PM – #10

Los Angeles is one of the most non-profit bloated cities in the country. Just knowing that The Alliance for a New Economy's executive director is on the Community Redevelopment agencies board is enough of an indication of how influential professional beggars are in this city.

Watching the euro hit record highs, and knowing the tourist industry will bring income to this city and into the economy of this city, no one should be suing anyone. It basically becomes a form of suicide for non-profits to deter the business community from entering the tourist industry..

I call the executive directors of these large non-profits professional beggars. They might not be walking around downtown asking for change, but they do a lot of grant writing and begging for money in a professional light. Their salaries are as a direct result of this begging , thus I call their salaries glorified welfare checks.

If we want to interrupt this economy , Los Angeles, from literally hitting the skids ,we need to accommodate those willing to spend money in our local economy. What is happening at the Cecil is a good thing. And it should be applauded.

As always I will say there must be a balance and long term tenants should be given relocation benefits or comparable housing within a mile or anywhere else for that matter..

Just as in any business, the law of diminishing returns can take it's toll and the non-profits have been squeezing the life out of big business , those who provide the jobs and pay the taxes and make the big donations need room to grow. But just having your hand out and with more and more non profits springing up, where will the real money come from to support our economy here in Los Angeles and the professional beggar?

Let's get real people. Let's wake up. We have to take a hard honest look at how the money flows. Non-profits do not bring new money into the economy. Real money comes from the hard working people who bring that money from all over the world into this city, not to say that professional fund raisers and those who work for non profits don't work hard. But from the standpoint of making sure the economy doesn't fall apart, if your spending outpaces what you bring in, then eventually you might wind up in financial straits or with nothing.

This is why we need to make room for those businesses that pay the bills of the non profits. Non-profits need to stop being greedy and accusing business folks from being greedy., Both types of businesses receive a form of corporate welfare. I don't see the executive directors of these social service non profits sharing their 6 figure salaries with their employees any time soon.

The question begs?

Who really is the victim in all of this mess in the gentrification of Downtown? The homeless, the poor, the sick, the destitute? Nope . It is the middle class wage earner who is the cash cow for their landlords and , the city general fund, and the non-profits. Who else is going to pay 14 dollars for a hamburger, who else is going to pay that extra rent to subsidize the low income renters so that the landlord can make a return on his property, and who else is going to pay the taxes that keep the non-profit housing developers executives living high on the hog? Why those poor schmucks moving into the lofts downtown.

I would like to see those who pay lot's of income tax be able to benefit from what they put into the system and stop giving their hard earned money to corporate welfare recipients. The recent dodge stadium shuttle was a case in point of the city giving corporate welfare. Then again , in a tight economy , the tickets sales at dodger stadium go into the general fund.

I say using part of this hotel as a hostel is a good thing.

David Kennedy on July 16, 2008, at 12:54PM – #11

Thanks for the feedback, AF. I've updated the discussion on TripAdvisor.com.

Margie on July 16, 2008, at 01:04PM – #12

^ The phrase for the type of people you descibe is "poverty pimps." Then there are the other bunch who like getting in on the action (and grabbing any loose dollars in the process), referring to trial lawyers.

Bert Green on July 16, 2008, at 01:22PM – #13

I have friends who stay at the Cecil when they are in LA, and they like it. It's neither dangerous or scary to them. One of them is a single woman, and artist who I show, and she feels just fine staying there. Also, the price is right.

The Downtown News did a hit piece on the Cecil a few years ago by a golddigger writer who used the piece to advance his career. Problem is, it was mostly a fabrication.

Also, the Cecil is NOT an SRO. It is a hotel. There is loegal action against it by the so called "community activists," but it's not clear how it will work out.

loveandhatela on July 16, 2008, at 02:35PM – #14

totally agree with you Don Garza..very well said. I'm a native angeleno and I'm considering booking a couple of nights at the STAY at the Cecil to check things out for myself.

William Lanting on July 16, 2008, at 03:16PM – #15

Thank you, everyone, for the great comments. I am president of the company that manages both the Cecil Hotel and Stay. It is gratifying to see how well received this new Stay concept has been.

Many kudos are due to Catherine Coan for this. She is the creator of the Stay concept, logo, designs, and so much more. She is brilliant and we appreciate her vision - skillfully executed by Amy Price - for this exciting new venue.

Sam on July 16, 2008, at 03:57PM – #16

The Cecil receives no gov't money for its residents, and the management has been nothing but accommodating of the residents while trying to do business -- You know, what non-charities (businesses) do by nature. It is NOT an SRO hotel and in fact, the owners are suing the city for its incorrect designation and total stonewalling of the owners' (taxpayers') attempts to bring this historic building into the future.

Haven on July 16, 2008, at 09:09PM – #17

Congratulations Cecil Hotel, William Lanting, Catherine Coan, and Amy Price! Its a great concept, design, and looks like great execution - exactly the kind of forward thinking downtown needs. I think the one thing that would complete your brand/ and appeal to your target is free wifi.
Don G- you are right, nonprofits can be misguided, as in the case of (Community Action Network (CAN)) or whomever fought/ is fighting Cecil. Cecil, I welcome and thank you for the change.

djm on July 16, 2008, at 09:26PM – #18

This is great news. LA could use more nice hostels like this. It reminds me of one I stayed in, in Vienna. That one was also mixed colorful splashes with white.

Don Garza on July 17, 2008, at 01:37AM – #19

Many are probably wondering why I take this stance. I take it because these people working in the nonprofit field as executive directors and grant writers are as much speculators as the developers coming into downtown.

They push for the capital projects because that is where the money is and the cash flow. Once that money is gone they will move on. If they can stall the high end development than they can acquire these properties. But that is what they do; aggressively go after the huge payouts. They do not seek after the service dollars as aggressively. Thus, if the housing is successful or not, after the capital dollars have been spent( discretionary funding) they aren't held accountable to that , they got their consultant fees and their grant fees ,and their salaries, while we who live in that housing never see the supportive service dollars to keep us inside, or enough of it. Skid Row Housing Trust is working aggressively to change that.

IF you think that the fight over the cecil is about justice I have ocean front property in the desert to sell you. That is just a pretext to keep the residents on the side of the non-profit developers. With tenants who have hopes of reaching huge settlements .

I said it many times to people. The social service provider low income housing developers don't want the high end developers downtown because it cuts into their hustle and their money. The high end developers don't want the low income housing developer around because it cuts into their ability to raise the rents in their developments. SO the tenants in both types of housing are caught in the middle.

Another truism is that SRO Housing Corporation and Skid Row Housing Trust are building better sro type housing than what is found now at the cecil and in the historic core or other developments that have not been converted. Yet, the people do not want to move into the new housing in skid row , precisely because it is skid row. So the low income tenants are fighting for the advantage of not having to move into the heart of skid row. Do you blame them?

The facts are that the cecil has been designated as long term housing for the people , housing of last resort. I don't forsee that changing anytime soon, or in the future.

Because developers rode in and didn't want to play by the rules and the CRA did not make sure the developers played by the rules, now the new developers have to stick with the decisions that came about with the SRO Ordinance.

As far as the cecil not getting government subsidies, they don't get that , but I am sure many tenants who live there get some sort of government check such as social security etc va pension or disability check, supplemental security income , etc. Indirectly they get government money from their tenants.

I assume the battle will continue. And yes , the Cecil Hotel is not a private non-profit hotel. It is not a subsidized single room occupancy housing hotel receiving subsidy payments from HUD , but it is still single room occupancy housing protected under the new ordinance.

I agree that those two uses, the Hostel and the low income housing can co-exist. Unless , the owner can provide comparable housing somewhere else or relocation benefits I have to keep this stance.

But the underlying issues over all of this revolve around money. The gentrification stuff is pre-text because there is wonderful housing being built in skid row.

But , it is taking forever. The Lyndon Hotel has taken over a year to get put together. The people have to fight for their housing in the historic core because these non-profits are not building these hotels fast enough. IF someone was to put pressure on them to do so and get their funding sources to dole out the money more quickly , then maybe the talking points about the housing being built and more room here would be valid. But not -until that day happens will we see a lull in the fighting.

I would , if I was a for profit developer downtown be doing everything I could do to lobby those who are in charge of getting these new SRO hotels in skid row put together much quicker. Not just subsidized supportive service housing but low income housing.

If you want to help.

Write :

http://www.srohousing.org

http://www.skidrow.org (skid row housing trust)

Let's stop whining and start doing something.

If these for profit developers and their amenities don't make money? Who will pay my subsidy and my oxygen? Oh , yeah. me . I am moving on up.

To Haven on July 26, 2008, at 11:49AM – #20

Stay has free wifi.

To Mr. Garza from a Cecil employee on July 28, 2008, at 01:07PM – #21

Actually, Mr. Garza, no one is wondering why you take your stance. It's obvious, and it's obvious that you need to get your facts straight. The Cecil was placed on this list inappropriately and in fact will make more money for the city once it has won its lawsuit, been removed from the list, and renovated. No tenants are being pushed out or abused. In fact, the work that has been done in the hotel has only made it a safer, nicer place for long-term guests. So long as guests are not doing/selling drugs or engaging in prostitution or violence in the building, they are and will be welcome.

David Kennedy on July 28, 2008, at 03:44PM – #23

Eric, thanks for making this observation. I, too, was puzzled by Cecil employee's comment. I noticed earlier today, this poster is making the rounds of the downtown blogs regarding the hotel.

PE resident on July 31, 2008, at 12:48AM – #24

I live next door at PE Lofts and I welcome Stay. I now have somewhere for guests coming to LA to be close, cool, and priced right. Now if only the city would get off their backs and let them move full steam with making the hotel a gem of downtown. Stay is a dope concept. I applaud the owners for "getting it." Gentrification is a fact. Private property owners should have the right to do what they please with the property as long as they pay the taxes. LA is funny to me, they constantly complain about not having enough money and when someone tries to expand the tax base thru private enterprise, they stifle them. You have to choose. You either want revenue, or for downtown to be a big homeless shelter. If you love the homeless so much, why don't we move them with the crybabies on the Westside?

Norbie 7 on July 31, 2008, at 02:18AM – #25

"I welcome Stay." "Stay is a dope concept."

Apparently, someone's been imbibing at the W (Crawford branch) Hotel.

akamomo on August 10, 2008, at 09:51PM – #26

This is exactly what LA needs. Private hip business taking a chance Downtown - and here, not some tapas place in Bunker Hill. Look at NY or younger yet hip cities - you need young, cool people and business that support that lifestyle FIRST. BEFORE $2500-$3000 rent micro-lofts.

David Kennedy on August 10, 2008, at 10:07PM – #27

Alas, downtown was sold as a 'cool' place justifying those rents. "Creative space for creative people" was the archtypal marketing slogan. However, the very presence of marketing suggests un-cool. Regardless, enough people bought the idea they could buy their cool.

Interestingly, most of the people who moved here during the current residential boom will hotly deny they fell for this marketing play. Or, they will play the dork and claim they don't know what all this hipster fuss is about. Indeed, here we are.

Mike on December 15, 2008, at 09:14PM – #28

I'm considering staying here when I come to L.A. in July. I've never been to California (I live in Nashville, TN) and have always wanted to visit. The rates are the best that I have seen and it's looking like I can book a round trip ticket plus get a room at the "Stay" for less than $900. I'm going to start saving some cash ASAP. This is brilliant. This place will definitely attract younger travelers- like me.