OLD SUNSET STRIP MOTEL REBORN BY PEBBLEBROOK HOTEL TRUST AS A WHIMSICAL , ENTERTAINING AND REBELLIOUS CHAMPION OF ROCK N ’ ROLL .
Contributed by ALICIA SHEBER
Fueled by the battle cry , “ Free the music !”, Hotel Ziggy is a proudly infamous star on West Hollywood , California ’ s Sunset Strip celebrating broken rules , guitar strings and recording contracts .
An inclusive destination championing countercultures and artists ’ rights , its raucous interiors spotlight musicians who ’ ve fought to have their voices heard , from Californian bands to icons like The Beatles and Rolling Stones to local Latin and Asian performers . On the walls , framed legal documents from the ‘ 50s onward highlight lawsuits between musicians and record companies and will be updated as new cases arise , while découpaged vintage playbills spanning diverse genres are layered by era to reflect evolving musical tastes .
Developed by Bethesda , Maryland-based Pebblebrook Hotel Trust , this eighth property in the REIT ’ s Unofficial Z Collection stays true to the idiosyncratic brand ’ s values of rebellion and activism . Seattle and Brighton , UK-based Dawson Design Associates ( DDA ), long-time Pebblebrook partner and creator of all previous Z hotel concepts , conceived interiors intended to spark conversations through the question , “ Who really owns the music ?”
Set amongst a sea of luxury hotels , including the adjacent Pebblebrook-owned and DDAdesigned Mondrian LA , Hotel Ziggy debuted March 2022 and intentionally retains gritty quirks from its ‘ 50s-motel persona . “ Having Ziggy next door is like discovering a new tattoo after a wild night … not particularly tasteful , nor wanted ,” says Andrea Sheehan , DDA ’ s founding principal and art director . “ We ’ re bringing back the ‘ riffraff ’ to a neighborhood everyone else is trying to polish .”
Haphazard interventions from the past became part of the renovation ’ s charm . “ Sometimes it ’ s better to go with the flow for architecture and structure ,” says Jon Bortz , Pebblebrook ’ s president and CEO . “ As far as I know , the building has zero redeeming qualities from a historical architecture perspective , and the exterior was ugly as sin with roofs making it look like the International House of Pancakes .” Fortunately , DDA transformed its flaws into virtues , with the exterior painted dark gray and enlivened
A retractable glass garage door partitions one end of the lobby , creating a versatile music venue called “ Backbeat ,” which supports local musicians .
72 hotelsmag . com June 2022