Agua Viva, stretching out on the outdoor terrace, is run by chef and humanitarian José Andrés.

Agua Viva, stretching out on the outdoor terrace, is run by chef and humanitarian José Andrés.

hen Tara Bernerd & Partners set out to design Hilton’s Conrad LA, it wanted the DTLA property to stand the test of time. 

The 305-room, 28-story luxury hotel in Frank Gehry’s mixed-use development The Grand LA opened on July 6 with a rooftop terrace, a spa, an outdoor swimming pool with a private deck, and locally inspired culinary experiences. 

“We are excited to expand Hilton’s West Coast presence with the debut of the first Conrad Hotels & Resorts property in California, one of our largest growing markets in the U.S.,” said Danny Hughes, executive vice president and president, Americas, Hilton. 

“This is a monumental occasion as we open the doors to this incredible property amid Downtown Los Angeles’ development boom, and we are looking forward to offering guests an unrivaled, luxury hospitality experience in this sought-after destination.”

Tara Bernerd & Partners was brought on board to design the hotel’s public spaces, rooms, suites, restaurants and bars. 

The staff was inspired by Gehry’s architecture combined with the West Coast modernist movement and DTLA’s culture. 

Based in London, Bernerd described herself as a “very untrendy girl” because she doesn’t want her work to become outdated. When her firm was asked to bid on the project, she headed to LA. 

She said she took in the varied architecture — the buildings that couldn’t be more different from each other. And then there was the building in which the hotel exists. 

“We inherit a building and get to work with a legacy, with Frank Gehry,” Bernerd said. “We have to respect what his vision is. The last thing I would want is to go oh, look, this Frank Gehry incredible building opposite his iconic Disney Concert Hall and inside is themed. I wanted it to feel effortless, that we melt in.”

Bernerd brought in tiles to play with colors. The columns are clad in an ivory, something that supports the iron and the glass differently. They also played with ceiling heights in places like the 10th-floor lobby. She staggered and lowered it.

“We’re building not only a hotel but my very first urban resort,” Bernerd said. “We have to create for the guest, whether you are staying there or because you’ve gone Downtown to see a concert and want to have dinner. The hotel has to belong to everyone in the neighborhood.”

Bernerd attributed LA’s appeal to its cultural mix. When designing the Conrad LA, she sought something sophisticated, a little bit European and with subtle M&M colors on the outdoor furniture. That international dash represents world travelers. 

“Really, what I’ve done is very much in the layout,” Bernerd said. “It’s approachable. That’s what LA has always been to me. It can’t be stuffy. It’s really open. It’s laid out very much with that in mind, yet at the same time, there are some really sophisticated little niches and there are surprises with different places to explore.”

While many people associate Los Angeles with the film stars, Bernerd said there’s no one more star studded than Gehry.

“It was incredible when we were awarded this project to learn that he would be the lead architect on this,” Bernerd said. “The first feeling is obviously huge excitement, and we’re not going to pretend that’s not the case. And the second is you don’t want to mess it up.”

The Grand LA has two mixed-use buildings. One has the hotel with retail, and the other is residential and restaurants. There is then a staggered grass courtyard, which Gehry refers to as his urban living room. 

She has covered the massive space in an organic, gray, mottled Ceppo di Gre stone from the quarries of Lake Iseo in Lombardy, Italy. She combined it with a rich, ashy wood and ceramic and blue linens.

“No one going in is going to see all those elements, but I believe there is an osmosis in design that you have a feeling,” she said.

“You start to feel without meaning to the sharpness, the steel, this piece of building in front of you and there’s an organic softness to what we are doing.”

Chef and humanitarian José Andrés oversees the Conrad LA’s food and beverage outlets, which include:

• San Laurel, the 10th-floor restaurant overlooking the Disney Concert Hall. The flavors are rooted in Spain but highlight the fresh, local ingredients of California. The restaurant will serve breakfast and dinner.

• Agua Viva is the outdoor terrace on the same floor, a chic rooftop restaurant where Andres makes Latin and Asian flavors mingle.

• Airlight is on the property’s roof deck, a pool deck offering handheld bites, creative cocktails and a view of DTLA.

• SED is an intimate respite for culinary and cocktail aficionados. It will showcase popular spirits and flavors as well as fresh fruits and vegetables form the West Coast.

When heading to the right, Bernerd said guests should meander through the lobby, which is designed like a living room.

Because Bernerd likes layers, she put rugs on the floors and decorated with quirky fabrics with multiple color palettes. The lobby has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook verdant outdoor spaces. The arrival bar is made of polished and glazed molten lava that is 11,000 years old. 

Decorating the walls is iconic art from LA artists like Casper Brindle, Mimi Jung, Ben Medansky and Brian Wills. The pieces, including Jon Krawczyk’s sculptures on the event lawn, build a connection between guests and LA’s flourishing art industry.

“That’s all layering into what we’re doing,” Bernerd said. “Then we’ve created this promenade to walk to and from before you get to the second restaurant and second bar. Beyond that they’re looking at all this lowered fire pool decks.”

Another major feature of the property is Conrad Spa Los Angeles, led by Spa Director Alina Medyanikova, who promotes a boundary-free wellness concept.

Bernerd described the spa as being “layered,” with incredible treatment rooms and great changing rooms with saunas and steam rooms. The spa spans more than 7,000 square feet and has a curated wellness bar featuring quality body care and recovery products, an entertainment lounge, an infrared sauna, a Gharieni Welnamis wavetable and recovery cabins. 

“Most people today will want a fitness gym, and the gym is off the scale; it’s enormous,” Bernerd said. “And the views are fantastic because of where we are, and the equipment is remarkable.”

The accommodations include deluxe king guest rooms up to regular and larger suites. Bernerd said the rooms are designed to be handsome and functionable rather than pretty. She said one of her favorite rooms is the standard double bedroom.

“One of the things we did very early on is I wanted to flirt with how we can keep a bathroom entirely private, but at the same time, if you’re there alone, open it up,” Bernerd said. 

Bernerd said she was grateful they could continue working on the property throughout the pandemic, even though she spent the lockdown in Europe. She had high praise for the entire team that worked on it, describing them as incredible. 

“This has been a labor of love,” Bernerd said. “I’m passionate about this job. I love this project. It’s eaten up five very happy years of my life.”

100 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

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