Athletic Club Shows Off Hotel Renovations
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
Seven of the nine Los Angles Athletic Club suites are themed after clubs the company used to operate. » Photo Gallery (8)
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — When the Los Angeles Athletic Club opened its new home at the corner of 7th and Olive in November of 1911, the L.A. Times gave club Vice President Frank Garbutt a column per day to opine about all of the building's features. Garbutt wrote the the club's "sleeping apartments" were "some of the finest rooms in the city.
That building may now be 98 years old, but the club's rooms are again brand new thanks to a recently completed renovation. Now operated as a hotel, the 72 rooms on the buildings top three floors are open to both club members and the general public.
The nine suites took the longest to finish, entering service in the last month. Seven of the nine are themed after one of the clubs the Athletic Club used to operate, including a yacht club, a country club and several beach clubs. Two bear USC and UCLA designs.
Member rooms also got a makeover, with the first renovated floor having reopened in July.
Summer and holidays are typically slow times for the hotel. During December and January, rates are $129 - $149 for deluxe king rooms (includes breakfast, wi-fi and full club access), with suites running $249.
The club is looking to lure folks Downtown over New Years with a package that bundles dinner for two at the club, a one-night stay and VIP access to Seven Grand's New Years Eve party (with a bottle of champagne or Sazerac) for $359 (or $229 without the Seven Grand tie-in).
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Lawrence on December 10, 2009, at 10:57AM – #1
The rooms look quite nice. Now if they could power wash the exterior of the building that would be great. It's a beautiful structure, but is looking a bit grimy these days.
Purple Haze on December 10, 2009, at 09:14PM – #2
If only they'd put the legendary original (Sullivanesque) sculpture back up above the front entrance.
(talk about an architectural erection!)
With An E on December 11, 2009, at 12:29PM – #3
Great pics Eric! These rooms look much nicer than I expected: altho they are a bit heavy on Williams Sonoma Home (could almost be a catalog). But, am I the only one who finds it a little depressing that their new current and future design is based on past success?
linda on December 11, 2009, at 12:47PM – #4
Wish you'd have been more specific about which clubs that the LAAC "used to operate" 7 of the suites are named after? Doesn't the same management, the Hathaway family, still operate the California Yacht Club? I assume the used-to-be golf club is the posh Brentwood Riviera - do LAAC members still get any reciprocal membership uses?
WHAT beach clubs? If they gave any up that was foolish, and certainly hurt their ability to retain membership from people like me who live on the westside and would have stayed an LAAC member if it had something like the Jonathan Club's beach facility, let alone The Beach Club (maybe TOO "exclusive" for families with kids or young members).
The club, by losing such members who don't see the need to drive downtown just for athletic facilities (still very extensive, but kind of tired and more populated with older folk who go to socialize than by younger people who go really to work out, or for hip classes), has skewed more exclusively toward those who work or live downtown or in areas like Glendale or Padadena, are older, and "the most diverse" such club as they like to advertise. Nothing wrong with diversity but by selling off their prime assets they lost the diversity of westsiders.
Alex Brideau III on December 15, 2009, at 04:43PM – #5
Much better than what they used to offer. Now if they would only extend the remodeling to the meeting rooms and the rest of the LAAC facility. :-)