Downtown’s Gorgeous New Freehand HotelOffers Boutique Amenities For A Hostel Price

By BY OREN PELEG JULY 26, 2017

After more than three years of renovating the historic

Commercial Exchange building, the Sydell Group’s

Freehand hotel is finally open to guests.

The 226-key hotel, at the corner of 8th and Olive

Streets in downtown Los Angeles, offers both shared and

private room. The building, constructed in 1924, had sat

vacant for years before its conversion, but was previously

the first retail location of the Owl Drug Company, and

even housed “Tarzan” author Edgar Rice Burroughs’

publishing company. According to the Los Angeles

Times, when the city decided to widen Olive Street in

the mid-1930s, a 10-foot section from the middle of the

Commercial Exchange building was removed, and the

two remaining sides were pushed together.

With the building’s rebirth as the Freehand Hotel, the

Sydell Group hopes to bridge “the gap between these

two eras to create a conversation between past and

future, layering a modern interpretation of LA’s evolving

urban landscape over meticulously restored interiors.”

The first Freehand opened in Miami in 2012 as an

“upscale hostel,” writes the Miami Herald. A follow-

up Freehand then opened in Chicago in 2015. The

Private room at the Freehand (Photo by Adrian Gaut)

Freehand Los Angeles is the brand’s

first foray into luxury territory with

the incorporation of private superior

rooms and suites. But for the more

economically-minded, hostel-style

shared rooms (bunk beds and all)

allow for rates that are sometimes

hundreds of dollars cheaper than

beds at surrounding hotels.

“The Freehand is designed as a

place for people who want to interact

with other guests and with locals,”

Andrew Zobler, chief executive of the

Sydell Group, which will be opening

The NoMad Hotel later this year

(also in downtown), told the Times.

“It’s set up for people who want to

have experiences as opposed to

people who just want to sleep and

get in and out.”

That experience includes

Rudolph’s Bar in the lobby, along

with a restaurant called The

Exchange, a rooftop pool and bar set

to open in August, and an outpost of

Flowerboy Project, the Venice Beach

flowers-and-wares shop.

The hotel’s interiors were

overseen by firm Roman and

Williams (who decorated both

Freehand Miami and Chicago, as

well as the Standard High Line),

and combines Craftsman and

Midcentury styles to pay homage

to Southern Californian history.

“[Los Angeles is] the perfect place

to embrace the Freehand spirit of

travel and exploration. …[the design

is] a little bohemian and has a lot

of earthiness, and is really inspired

by all of California—from the ocean

to the desert,” Robin Standefer, co-

founder of Roman and Williams, told

LALA magazine.

Top and above: Shared room at the Freehand (Photo by Adrian Gaut)

Meanwhile, a large mural by the

local art collective CYRCLE covers

an opposing wall in the hotel’s

lightwell. The mural highlights iconic

figures like Malcolm X and Barack

Obama—each room will have a

window looking out at the mural,

providing a slightly different view

from each unit.

As the development of downtown

L.A. continues accelerates, the

Freehand should remain as one of

the prime locations to eat, sleep, and

play in the neighborhood, all at the

same time.

The Freehand Hotel is located at

416 West 8th Street in Downtown

Los Angeles. (213) 612-0021.

Current rates are between $84 and

$369, however rates are seasonally

adjusted and subject to availability.

Clockwise from above: The Exchange sign (Photo by Hunter Kerhart); The Exchange at the Freehand; Freehand lobby; Freehand lobby with Rudolph’s bar; Tapestry in the Freehand lobby (Photos by Frank Lee).