HOTELS June 2022 Page 72 – U-Rock Network™

OLD SUNSET STRIP MOTEL REBORN BY PEBBLEBROOK HOTEL TRUST AS A WHIMSICAL, ENTERTAINING AND REBELLIOUS CHAMPION OF ROCK N’ ROLL. Contributed by ALICIA SHEBER F ueled 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 Unocial 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 DDA-designed 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 ‘rira ’ 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

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