Sleeper: Lido House and Westdrift Manhattan Beach

Since its launch in 2010, Autograph Collection has celebrated individuality, bringing one-of-a-kind hotels to guests seeking a stay with a story. With a tagline of ‘Exactly Like Nothing Else’, properties in the portfolio are selected for their rich character, stand-out design and experiential offer. There’s no cookie-cutter approach or rigid set of brand standards to adhere to, rather hotels are independent, maintaining their own name, logo and identity while benefitting from the booking engine of the world’s largest hotel group.

STORIES THROUGH DESIGN

Reflection of place and mark of craft – signature moments and experiences unique to each property – are core pillars of the Autograph Collection, coming together to create hotels with personality. The third, and arguably most important, is design. While Lido House, Westdrift and Hotel Republic share the same coastline, the design of each is markedly different. Lido House has been designed by WATG; its scheme inspired by the quaint cottages of Cape Cod. The architectural character is defined as ‘Newport Beach nautical’ – a West Coast interpretation of the East Coast Cape Cod style – with brick, shingle siding and shuttered windows accompanying a rooftop turret, the silhouette of which forms the hotel’s brand identity.

The look continues through to the interiors, designed by California-based studio EDG. Joining Sleeper for a tour of the property, the firm’s President and CEO Jennifer Johanson revealed that the design was based on the fictitious tale of a fisherman who brought the heritage of the East Coast to Newport. It is a refined celebration of Southern California’s coastal lifestyle, with public spaces extending outside for an indoor-outdoor feel.

Johanson worked closely with Olsen, who had a clear vision of how the hotel should look and feel. “It was very much his dream that the hotel reflect his personal home,” she explains, adding that the team took countless trips to Olsen’s house for inspiration. “There are a lot of similarities between the two. The wainscot is exactly the same height, the paint colours are from his house, the vaulted ceiling of the private dining room is of the same proportions, and there’s a rug that is literally from his house, he had someone bring it over,” she continues. “It’s an extension of Bob’s living room; it’s very personal.”

Lido House has three distinct F&B venues, its signature restaurant being The Mayor’s Table. Honouring the site’s city hall roots, the scheme takes on a more masculine style with the use of dark woods, steel and glass along with industrial light fittings. There are plenty of nautical touches however, with trinkets such as model boats and mermaids dressing the shelves. The hotel’s crowning glory is Topside, a rooftop bar that overlooks the hotel’s lawn and pool, and out to the harbour beyond. It’s the ultimate spot for a post-beach soirée, with open fire pits, festoon lighting and a cosy VIP snug within the turret.

Guestrooms are designed to represent a ship’s cabin – albeit more spacious – with millwork framing the bed and TV, and a palette of navy and brass. For longer-stay guests, Lido House has five residential-style cottages, each the creation of a different local designer and boasting it’s own private entrance, rooftop patio and 1,300ft2 of living space.

EDG was also responsible for the interior design scheme at Westdrift, a former Marriott hotel that was in desperate need of a refurb. The scheme here takes on elements of the east coast too – Manhattan Beach was founded by a New Yorker – but has a very different vibe to Lido House. “It was a great opportunity to be able to design two Autograph Collection hotels at the same time,” says Johanson. “Both are considered coastal themes, but Newport has a very different feel to Manhattan Beach, so we wanted the hotels to have a totally different feel.”

The lobby design is based on Manhattan Beach Pier, with a custom-made driftwood check-in desk framed by towering columns that reference the time-worn supports beneath the local landmark. The columns feature leather and metal accents to represent water staining while wood and mesh screens reference the nets of local fishermen. The restaurant, Jute Coastal Bar + Kitchen is named after the raw fibre often used to make rope, with its design scheme featuring woven chairs and string flags. Large-scale water paintings by Sausalito photorealist Eric Zener line the walls of the lobby, a smaller version of which can be seen in the guestrooms alongside a sun-washed palette, natural textures and splashes of blue.

At San Diego’s Hotel Republic, converted from a W Hotel by ownership group RP SCS WSD Hotel, the design story is more energetic, in line with the district’s new lease of life as a social and business hub. San Diego-based Bluemotif Architecture and Los Angeles interior design studio Forchielli Glynn took cues from downtown’s urban coastal palette to furnish the property, employing neutral tones, natural leathers and coffee tables fabricated from reclaimed solid elm beneath driftwood chandeliers hanging over the lobby.

The openings of Lido House, Westdrift and Hotel Republic mark a significant milestone in the expansion of Autograph Collection in California. That three hotels along the same stretch of coast have such different stories to tell is a credit to the design teams involved. And there’s more to come from the brand, as it’s revealed the state will welcome six more Autograph Collection members in the coming years. While the locations and design concepts are yet to be announced, one thing’s for certain; each will remain true to the brand promise of delivering an experience exactly like nothing else.

For more information visit www.sleepermagazine.com

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