Hotels

Articles about historic hotels in Los Angeles.

Commercial Exchange Building: LA’s Shrinking Tower

November 3, 2025

The South Park neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles is undergoing enormous change at the moment, as new apartment and condominium blocks sprout upwards and older buildings (such as the beautiful Herald Examiner Building and the Commercial Exchange Building) are renovated and repurposed, often as lofts or ‘creative’ offices. The crypto.com Arena and the many restaurants,…

Crime Seen: The Hotel Cecil

March 16, 2025

Amongst Los Angeles hotels the Hotel Cecil holds a unique place. It’s a marquee name that not only a lot of Angelenos know, but also many visitors too. It’s been the subject of numerous documentaries, articles and, even, a TV horror series, yet you can’t actually rent a room there (at time of publication). In…

Crime Seen: The Ambassador Hotel

February 2, 2025

The Ambassador Hotel was one of Los Angeles’ most famous hotels, which is no mean feat in a city that boasts the Biltmore, the Beverly Wilshire, the Chateau Marmont and many other famous, and infamous, establishments. The Ambassador’s renown came from its reputation as a place of entertainment and glamor from its opening in 1921 all…

Crime Seen: The Barclay Hotel

November 13, 2022

The Barclay Hotel is, more or less, right in the navel area of the dark underbelly of downtown Los Angeles.The Hotel Cecil has become famous in the last few years, reaching a peak in 2021 with the Netflix mini-series The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. However the Barclay has just as dark a history as the Cecil,…