Downtown LA’s newest hotel, housed in the former Commercial Exchange building, features a cool restaurant and colorful rooftop cocktail bar.

The latest project from the Sydell Group, which also runs the Line Hotel in Korea Town, is an offshoot of the Freehand hotel in Miami, which started as a hostel-type hotel in 2012. But Sydell Group CEO Andrew Zobler says the idea of Freehand is more about capturing the culture of a hostel—meeting people and socializing, having unexpected interactions—than it is about being one. And even though the Downtown hotel features 59 shared rooms, there’s nothing basic or hostel-like about them. All of them are designed by Roman & Williams and feature comfortable bedding, linens and en-suite bathrooms.

The hotel also features the Exchange Restaurant on the ground floor, where dishes explore LA’s multi-cultural flavors through an Israeli lens. And atop the property, poolside, there’s the James Beard nominated bar concept Broken Shaker, offering quirky, eclectic cocktails and street food inspired small bites.

Ideal For

A staycation