Mondrian Hotel

Hotel description

Fresh off a large-scale redesign at the hands of the designer Benjamin Noriega Ortiz, the updated Mondrian has done well to keep pace with the times. The intensely avant-garde interiors from the Starck days are all grown up now, the Mondrian adapted for a more refined taste.

Now it’s a little less glam, less Hollywood, and more a tranquil California coastal vibe. But this is still the Sunset Strip, and the Mondrian is still one of its most exclusive spots: the Skybar’s door is notoriously strict, and if you’re in, you’re either a hotel guest, or a star.

It’s not all about buzz either. The rooms are surprisingly accessible in their comfort, and they’re quite large, in classic boutique white-on-white but with living rooms and kitchens to boot. The views from this twelve-story tower, through floor-to-ceiling windows, are phenomenal, and the service, and while the service is a bit more hands-off than the luxury standard, it only contributes to the guests’ privacy and independence.

That said, it’s not the place to stay if you want to be left totally alone. Whether you’re dining at Asia de Cuba, drinking at the Skybar, or just hanging out in ADCB, the lobby lounge, the Mondrian is about being seen. Even the smallish pool, with its oversized deck of mattresses and loungers, is meant less for swimming than for self-display. In a way the Mondrian is LA in a nutshell — no hotel better sums up today’s Strip.