California Hotels Archives | Brad A. Johnson

Review: Hotel Joaquin, Laguna Beach

The 22-room Hotel Joaquin is probably the best bargain in Laguna Beach, and certainly one of the hippest hotels in town with literally zero attitude. It’s not directly on the beach, but it’s just a three-minute walk down the hill.

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Review: Hotel Figueroa, Los Angeles

It took a massive three-year, top-to-bottom, inside-out refurbishment to bring the Hotel Figueroa back from the brink. And what an incredible transformation. This is now one of the sexiest and, frankly, best hotels in downtown Los Angeles.

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Review: Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown

The 73-story Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown is the tallest building west of Chicago. It’s the highest hotel in the city — and the reigning most-talked-about skyscraper of L.A.’s rapidly expanding downtown skyline.

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Review: Proper Hotel, San Francisco

San Francisco’s Proper Hotel is important for several reasons. When it opened last fall, it was the first new luxury hotel to open in the city in years. It also marked the second coming of Brad Korzan and Kelly Wearstler, the visionary duo behind the Viceroy brand.

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Review: The NoMad Hotel, Los Angeles

The NoMad Hotel in downtown Los Angeles opened in January 2018 and occupies a 12-story building that was originally erected in the roaring 1920s as the American headquarters of The Bank of Italy.

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The Great Burger Debate: Lettuce or No Lettuce?

A chef on Instagram recently launched a debate by posting a picture of a cheeseburger beneath which he posed a simple question, “Lettuce or no lettuce?”

I didn’t weigh in, but I silently screamed, “Lettuce!”

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Photo of the Week: Hotel Paseo, Palm Desert

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Hotel Review: Freehand, Los Angeles

The Freehand Los Angeles opened last week at the corner of 8th and Olive — across the street from legendary dive bar the Golden Gopher. The 226-room hotel resides in the landmark, 12-story Commercial Exchange building, which has been gutted and completely redesigned with an urban-hipster twist on California Craftsman.

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Review: Mosaic Hotel, Beverly Hills

Overview: The 49-room Mosaic Hotel in Beverly Hills revamped its look two years ago, a total transformation with a modern aesthetic throughout, including a refreshed pool deck. The hotel is part of…

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Hotel Review: Villa Florence, San Francisco

The seven-story, turn-of-the-century building known today as Villa Florence has quite a history. It was conceived and constructed in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake, part of San Francisco’s swift reconstruction campaign. It debuted as apartments but shortly thereafter became the Hotel Manx, whose basement would become a speakeasy during Prohibition.

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