Hotel Spotlight: Hotel Hermosa

Southern California’s distinctive surf culture thrives on a sense of fellowship, and Hotel Hermosa delivers a celebration of the region’s beach living and communal sensibility—immersing guests into a kinetic and relaxed atmosphere. 
 

“We wanted guests to interact with the design versus just see it with their eyes,” says Christina McCain Franklin, design director for Pacifica Design Group (PDG), the in-house studio for Pacifica Hotels. The company acquired the Hermosa Beach property in 2014 and soon began work on an 11-month face lift. 



The reception area provides a striking introduction with playful signage and a lighting grid on the ceiling illuminating colorful retail space. Throughout the public spaces, large graphics depicting beaches, palm trees, and surf capture the character of the West Coast, including in the expansive lobby lounge. 



“Knowing that the guestrooms were made for sleeping and have a moodier, darker look, we wanted the lobby to feel brighter and lighter,” Franklin explains. “At the same time, we wanted to give the guest additional interactive elements and lots of communal seating opportunities.”



Mexican-inspired textiles liven the atmosphere as a nod to the nearby Baja, California region, while ceramic tiles spanning the floor imitate wood. The team continued with a lighting grid overhead instead of pendants or large chandeliers in keeping with the relaxed tone. “The challenge here was for it not to read like Vegas, but instead like art,” adds Franklin.



A lobby fireplace was transformed into an interactive space, with seating poufs surrounding the fire table to elevate the lounge experience. Infusing the beach influence with an urban theme, the palette includes a wide range of vivid accent tones, balanced by black and white elements in spaces like the adjacent breakfast area, which features mosaic tiling. Elsewhere, black and white carpeting and a geometric wall design offset the energy conveyed by the hotel’s Before I Die wall (where guests can write in their goals with colorful chalk) to “create a balance between the two worlds,” according to Franklin. 



Amplifying Hotel Hermosa’s communal theme, the 4,800-square-foot courtyard—or the Yard—naturally facilitates activity and interaction at the heart of the property with bocce courts, pool tables, and Jenga blocks. The lobby’s tile flooring continues out onto the space, complementing its outdoor turf, and vibrant oversize daybeds are arranged around each of the terrace’s fire tables. “We created a seamless transition from the lobby to our outdoor space, and at the same time broke up the repetition,” Franklin says.



A relaxed edginess defines Hotel Hermosa’s guestrooms, with splashes of color and varying textural and quirky details like horseshoes, a dandelion mural, and tape deck signage adding nuanced moments of whimsy. In suites, a dark textile-inspired wall covering, oversize lounge chairs and residential-style furniture, and playful yet commanding ceiling and wall-mounted light fixtures establish a more domestic look, while distinctive staircase sconces are reminiscent of Hotel Hermosa’s octopus logo. 

Original Article from Hospitality Design: http://www.hospitalitydesign.com/projects/hotels-resorts-wellness/Hotel-Hermosa-16965.shtml

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