Community Is Centered Across A Decade Of The LINE LA
The Los Angeles boutique activates programming connected to the Koreatown neighborhood
(The LINE LA)
Location: Koreatown, LA
Perfect For: LA-based creatives and visitors seeking a hotel designed around discovery
At The LINE LA, one word comes up repeatedly in reference to the hotel’s overarching mission: community. It’s a concept that both Stefan Merriweather, Head of Creative at The LINE, The Ned (US) & Saguaro, and Jennie Wright, Brand Experience Manager at The LINE & Saguaro Hotels, bring up repeatedly when describing the LA boutique’s events, partnerships, and recent 10 year anniversary. The concept of community ranges from the hotel serving as a destination for LA’s creatives to collaborations with other LINE properties to partnerships with talent from LA’s Koreatown neighborhood, where The LINE LA resides.
“Back in 2015, the hotel had been open for about a year and really, we were building community there and it was something really special I hadn't really experienced before,” Merriweather recalls. “And I think one thing that was special about it was seeing how a hotel could be a champion for a neighborhood. So I was really involved in the neighborhood and making sure that the hotel was reflecting the community that was right outside its door. So, a lot of hotels, they represent the city, which I think is, the nomenclature says, it's the hotel and the city it's in. And I think for The LINE, which made it really special and I think differentiated it, was it's this collection of neighborhood hotels. So yes, it exists in Los Angeles, but it's really highlighting these amazing cultural hubs within cities.”
Partnerships are a core component of The LINE LA, ranging from the popular Koreatown Run Club, which Merriweather recalls community organizers Duy Nguyen and Michael Pak pitching as “a run club because we hate running,” to the in-house members only Barbershop Club, which Wright remarks calls back to a time when “it was kind of normal for barbers and hairstylists to actually be in hotels.”
(The Barbershop Club)
“I think that's really everything for us,” Merriweather affirms. “Our number one value is community. So in building and maintaining a hotel property like this, it's incredibly important that the hotel is reflecting the immediate neighborhood within it. And for us, I think that really starts with collaborations and the partners that we're engaging with.”
For Wright, her role as Brand Experience Manager means identifying community-focused talent is key when developing partnerships for the hotel.
“What I hone in on is a lot of emerging artists and providing them the space or this platform to showcase their work,” she shares. “And another important thing that I look at is how they engage with their audience, and is it authentic? And is it something that is relatable to us? Or…do their values match our values?”
The LINE LA’s live event programming ranges from a spades game night that Wright reveals has “sometimes up to 350 people in attendance” to a mom’s group to tech meetups and more.
“It's very diverse,” Wright confirms of hotel’s partners, “but we all kind of have the same, like I said, it all goes back to the values. We all have…that same base. So yeah…it's been beautiful to be able to share that with other people.”
The LINE LA’s focus on creativity is evident in touchpoints throughout the property, starting when you enter hotel’s lobby. Professional and aspiring photographers will appreciate a CineStill vending machine full of film and disposable cameras, located alongside a photo booth.
(The Cinestill vending machine and LINE LA photobooth)
“We have a huge photography and an analog film community,” Wright shares. “So, it was like, absolutely, we need to have this in our space. And honestly…every week, I find us refilling that machine from people coming in. We find people there at 5 a.m. getting film, so then to be able to, during the 10 year (anniversary programming), be able to feature the photographers that use CineStill and are represented by CineStill, it was, obviously…a no brainer that we were going to have them be the main highlight in our lobby gallery space.”
Visitors to The LINE LA can also enjoy immersive nightlife options, though the hotel’s event spaces are not always immediately discoverable. Such is the case with Houston Hospitality concept Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which Wright describes as “a ‘70s inspired speakeasy club.”
(Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)
“You enter through an inactive ATM machine, and once you enter into the space, you are warped back into time from the disco floor to the cheetah print couches,” Wright details. “Like you're in the ‘70s. So…it's mostly disco, electro, ’80s music that's going to be played. You may catch some of the people on roller skates skating around. You can catch different performances throughout the evening that are kind of like surprise and delight moments. But it's really an ‘80s disco speakeasy.”
“It feels like a mini Studio 54 sort of experience,” Merriweather adds. “And I think what's really great about what (the Houston Brothers are) able to do is they create these very transportive experiences. And where it really works and aligns with us is one of our core values is this element of discovery, right?”
(Break Room 86)
Another Houston Brothers club can be found in the Break Room 86, a venue Wright calls “a karaoke bar speakeasy where they have private karaoke rooms” amidst ‘80s boomboxes and speakers, a wall of high school lockers, and backseat couches as decor.
“What's really cool is…you look in the back and you notice a phone booth and you're like, ‘oh…what's happening there?’” Wright reveals. “You walk through and you're entering into a smaller karaoke room. So, the whole experience is super fun, super interactive. Everything from the old school televisions that are running. It's a whole experience that's just very, very Houston Brothers, as well as very Koreatown.”
(Cocktails & Dreams karaoke room at Break Room 86)
A more secluded experience curated by the Houston Brothers can be found in The LINE LA’s Speek Suites, which recalls an upscale and low key ‘70s bachelor pad.
“(The Speek Suites) look like they are completely different from any other room in the hotel,” Wright describes. “There's wood paneling in the rooms. There's…a karaoke area where you can probably fit 20 to 30 people in that space for a full on karaoke party. And attached to that, there's a small wet bar in there. There's a bedroom as well (where) a lot of the furniture…speaks to the Houston Brothers aesthetic as far as like that ‘70s theme. So you're literally going back in time when you walk into those spaces as well.”
Another “show off suite,” as Wright calls it, is the Apartment, which, she reveals, is utilized to host events with “creatives, artisans, tastemakers, people who are super knowledgeable in a specific industry that want to just talk to a small group of people” for the hotel’s Hear, Here digital magazine.
(The Apartment suite)
“That's where we're highlighting the best of the best of what the hotel has to offer,” the Brand Experience Manager explains. “And it best showcases our designer’s, basically, personality and what he's brought to the space. When you walk in there, you have the green tufted couches, you have the serape chairs, you have the rugs on the ground. It has a large living room. It has a large dining area. And then the massive bathroom with the large tub, the huge shower. It's almost like walking into a very, very nice locker room.”
Amongst the hotel’s regular event programming, one major celebration stands out. This past May, The LINE LA went all out in celebrating its 10 year anniversary, an event Merriweather cites as “a huge milestone.”
(The LINE LA’s 10 year anniversary)
“I think it's a testament to our vision and our dedication over the years.” the Head of Creative shares. “And it really gives us a chance to reflect and celebrate. And it's about the countless stories, really, that our community has helped us write. And the unique experiences we've curated for our guests over the years. And when I think about like what it took for this all to come together, I realized, this is as much…of a celebration of the brand as it is our incredible employees and team that are working behind the scenes, making all the magic happen. So it was really great to pull everyone together to kind of build and create this 10 year celebration experience. And it was, it was significant for us. I think, look, there's a lot of new product as far as hotels coming into the market. And I think it's an opportunity for us to really recognize…where we've been and understand where we want to go in the next 10 years.”
Programming for the anniversary involved multiple initiatives, including collaborations with other LINE properties. From The LINE DC, the Full Service Radio team activated a pop up where podcasters could utilize recording equipment onsite at The LINE LA at any hour. Representing The LINE San Francisco, Jonathan Carver Moore, owner of the BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women-friendly gallery of the same name, brought artists from both San Francisco and Los Angeles to showcase their work at an anniversary activation at the property. And women and LGBTQ+-focused community organization Future Front, who host pool parties at The LINE Austin, curated the anniversary pool party at The LINE LA.
Other anniversary collaborations included LINE LA designer Sean Knibb creating an exclusive Jordan 1 for the hotel’s 10 year, utilizing colors and patterns in line with the hotel’s aesthetic. Additionally, acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey refreshed his iconic Peace Tree mural that he originally produced on the exterior of the property a decade earlier. Anniversary touches even carried over to surprising corners of the property, with Merriweather confirming “we activated every single inch of the hotel.”
“I think one of my favorite moments, which was a surprise and delight moment we had, is we had an elevator bar,” Merriweather recalls. “So we converted one of our elevators into a bar and we really didn't tell anybody about it. It was just kind of a surprise and delight. And it was…one of the most popular activations that we had. People absolutely loved it.”
For more on The LINE LA’s community ties, anniversary programming, event activations, and more, check out Merriweather and Wright on two A HOTEL PODCAST interviews below.
Find more via The LINE LA. And subscribe for more from A Hotel Podcast on LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Words and media by Jaime Black.
Overnight accommodations and F&B provided by The LINE LA and CARVINGBLOCK.