What are the biggest changes you’ve noticed downtown since you started working there?
We are seeing that corporate and leisure travelers coming to Los Angeles, now more than ever, list downtown as their top preference of neighborhoods, thanks to an ever-expanding list of unparalleled restaurants, bars, shopping, museums, and cultural activities. Whereas before, a business traveler might work in downtown during the day but choose to stay on the Westside or in Hollywood because of attractions in those neighborhoods; today we are actually seeing the reverse as visitors with meetings in other areas of L.A. are preferring to stay in DTLA. It’s incredible how much this has changed in such a short period of time.
Business: Proper Hotel
Neighborhood: South Park
Title: President, Proper Hospitality
Years working downtown: 12
Why does it make sense for your business to be located downtown?
As a luxury lifestyle hotel brand, our overall mission at Proper Hospitality is to offer world-class design, services, and amenities in emerging neighborhoods with creative and cultural energy. As an L.A.-based hotel company, we know that DTLA fits this profile as much as any neighborhood in L.A. (and perhaps the country). Much like for our debut property, the Hollywood Proper Residences, the location of downtown L.A. to Proper was critical. We’re excited to be restoring an amazing historic building and converting it into a hotel we expect will become an amenity for all those that live and work in DTLA. We are thrilled to be able to offer our creative-minded, well-traveled guests the ability to stay in one of the city’s most vibrant hoods.
What are your favorite things about downtown?
My day always revolves around what and where I am eating. So, first and foremost, I love DTLA’s culinary scene. I love the diversity in the offerings in such a compact area. From our DTLA Proper Hotel, I am a $5 Uber away from many of my go-to meals: tacos at Guisados; sushi at Sushi Gen or Hama; a whole plethora of options at Grand Central Market; or one of my favorite spots in L.A. to take out-of-town guests, Bestia. Most recently, my wife, Jessie, and I discovered Shibumi, which is on par with the best of the kappo-style meals we ate on our last trip to Tokyo.
Least favorite?
From my home in Ocean Park, Santa Monica, if I don’t want to battle traffic, it’s still a 45-minute Expo Line ride away.
Could you see yourself moving downtown?
I will certainly feel like I’m living there as we get closer to the opening of our DTLA Proper Hotel in 2018.
Where do you see downtown in five years? Ten years?
I see it as the undisputed cultural hub of L.A. – the heart and soul of the city. It’s well along its way now, and I am thrilled and honored that we have had a chance to continue to play a small role in taking it to the next level.
– Caroline Anderson
