The InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown from “The Morning Show”

Aside from flying, there is little I am afraid of.  Spiders?  Nope.  Public speaking?  Not even a lick!  Heights?  Not typically.  But when the Grim Cheaper and I visited the new InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown inside Wilshire Grand Center, which stands at 1,100 feet, I almost had a panic attack!  I am not sure why, but as soon as we stepped into the elevator and the GC pressed the 70th-floor button to head to the hotel’s sky lobby, my heart started fluttering and instinct had me running back out into the foyer before the doors could close.  I finally got myself together and made it up to the building’s top (quite quickly, I might add – the elevators travel at 1,600 feet per minute!), but I never felt fully comfortable while there.  In fact, my heart rate didn’t return to normal until my feet were firmly planted back on terra firma.  I am sure glad I braved it, though, because not only is the hotel stunning, but it later popped up on The Morning Show!

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Construction on Wilshire Grand Center, which replaced the Wilshire Grand Hotel, began on February 15, 2014.

The Korean Air-backed metamodernist tower was designed by the AC Martin architecture firm.  I had the pleasure of interviewing CEO and Chairman Chris Martin about the building for this 2015 Los Angeles magazine article and even got to tour the site mid-construction, both of which were highlights of my stalking career.  That’s me perched atop what was then the property’s highest floor.

As I stated in the L.A. mag article, Wilshire Grand’s design was inspired by the California landscape, particularly Half Dome and Yosemite’s Merced River.  Perhaps the most dramatic element of the building is the 240-by-60 foot skylight that hangs over the main entrance, which Martin dubbed a “river of glass.”

It truly does look like a wave cresting over the front doors.

Capped by a glass sail, Wilshire Grand is the only L.A. skyscraper sans a flat roof.  Prior to its construction, all city buildings over 75 feet were required to have helicopter landing pads and, therefore, flat tops.  Thanks to its plethora of fire safety measures which far exceed code requirements, though, the Grand was granted permission to instead have a small landing “platform,” allowing for a unique curved roofline.  It definitely sets the place apart from the other structures in the skyline.

Officially, Wilshire Grand is L.A.’s tallest building, as well as the tallest edifice West of the Mississippi, though that is a point of contention among many as the distinction is only met thanks to its 294-foot spire.  Runner-up U.S. Bank Tower, which stands at 1,018 feet, also dwarfs it due to its location atop Bunker Hill (as you can see here), further complicating the matter.  But whether you think Wilshire Grand is deserving of the superlative or not, there’s no denying the tower is spectacular!

The mixed-use property, which is comprised of offices, retail space and the InterContinental, opened to the public on June 23rd, 2017.  The 900-room hotel makes up the building’s upper 43 floors.

One of its most unique elements is its lobby, which can’t be found at street level, but all the way up on floor 70!

It’s a pretty striking place to check-in.

The sky lobby boasts plenty of comfortable spots to sit, windows galore, and a lounge serving food and drinks.

 

The construction beams . . .

. . . which stretch up to the ceiling . . .

. . . are an integral part of the space’s design.

As are the floor-to-ceiling windows.

When we first arrived at the sky lobby, I was too nervous to get close to the windows . . .

. . . which didn’t make for the best photos.

But I finally worked up the courage and, wow, once I did, I couldn’t get over the views!

Wilshire Grand seems to just tower over the neighboring buildings.

It felt like the entire city was stretched out below me.

Even the Hollywood Sign was visible!

Along with stellar views, the hotel boasts 3 restaurants, 3 bars (sadly, Spire 73, the rooftop bar, was closed when we were there), 94,977 square feet of event space, a 13,000-square-foot gym known as Attitude Fitness, and an outdoor pool (the latter three make up floors 5, 6 and 7 of the Wilshire Grand).  The InterContinental really is a must-see for anyone visiting Los Angeles!

Considering its unique design, modern style, and stunning views, it is no surprise the place made its way to the screen.

The InterContinental was used several times throughout Season 1 of The Morning Show.  It first showed up in episode 3, “Chaos Is the New Cocaine,” in the scene in which Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) delivers her great “You don’t have the power anymore!” speech to UBA network executives.  The segment was filmed in one of the hotel’s sixth-floor board rooms, which you can see images of here and here.

Attitude Fitness (which you can see photos of here) is where Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup) watches Bradley Jackson’s (Reese Witherspoon) first TMS taping in episode 4, “That Woman.”

In episode 8, “Lonely at the Top,” and briefly in episode 10, “The Interview,” the presidential suite (which you can see here) masks as Mitch Kessler’s (Steve Carell) Las Vegas hotel room.

Alex and Chip Black (Mark Duplass) pass each other on the fabulous escalators leading up to the hotel’s conference area in episode 10, “The Interview.”

The InterContinental is most prominently used, though, as UBA President Fred Micklen’s (Tom Irwin) office, which first pops up in “That Woman,” but went on to appear in almost every episode following.

Fred’s office scenes were also shot in one of the hotel’s sixth-floor board rooms.

  You can check out images of it here

Other productions have found their way to the InterContinental, as well.  In the Season 7 episode of Silicon Valley titled “Exit Event,” which aired in 2019, Dinesh Chugtai (Kumail Nanjiani) scaled the staircase inside the rooftop sail.

That same year, one of the hotel’s boardrooms portrayed a meeting room at Núñez Incorporated in the first two episodes of The L Word: Generation Q, titled “Let’s Do It Again” and “Less Is More,” respectively.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking! 

Stalk It: The InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, from The Morning Show, is located at 900 Wilshire Boulevard in downtown L.A.  You can visit the property’s official website here.