Noise is a real trigger for me. I don’t know why, but loud sounds, namely of the musical variety, bother me to the extreme! I can’t think of anything that turns me off more, in fact, especially when I’m at a hotel. So I was thoroughly disappointed walking into LINE LA back in July 2015 only to discover techno music blaring from the lobby speakers. I could hardly hear myself think! The disappointment escalated as we made our way to Commissary, the lodging’s gorgeous former restaurant, and realized that the adjacent pool had been transformed into a weekend discotheque! As I wrote to my friend Michael (whom you may remember from his many fabulous guest posts and who vacationed at the hotel several months prior), “We would have needed noise-canceling headphones just to eat lunch!” Needless to say, we did not dine on the premises, nor did I get any photos of the place. I regretted that move last week when I spotted Commissary while scanning through the pilot episode of The L Word: Generation Q for my write-up on the InterContinental Downtown Los Angeles. Fortunately, Michael saved the day by kindly sharing the many images he took during his stay at the LINE for this post. Thank you, Michael!
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LINE LA started life as the Hyatt Wilshire in 1964.
The 12-story hotel, which originally encompassed 396 rooms, was designed in the Brutalist style by the Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall architecture firm.
Boasting fabulous mid-century detailing, the exterior of the steel and glass structure looks like a wall of old-time televisions stacked on top of each other.
In December 1991, the Hyatt Wilshire was purchased by the South Korean-based Koreana Hotel company and renamed the Wilshire Plaza Hotel. You can check out some photos of what it looked like during that era here. It’s quite a difference from the current concrete-on-concrete-on-concrete aesthetic.
The lodging changed hands once again in 2012 when it was snapped up by the Sydell Group, the hospitality team behind The Saguaro Palm Springs. The company collaborated with chef Roy Choi, nightlife impresarios Mark and Johnny Houston, and interior designer Sean Knibb on a major overhaul of the site. The result is an atmosphere that is both highly modernized and minimalistic and in keeping with the property’s Brutalist origins.
LINE LA opened its doors in January 2014 boasting 388 rooms (each with floor-to-ceiling windows), 2 restaurants, a café, 2 nightclubs, a 24-hour fitness studio, a pool, and 12,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.
The accommodations are tasteful, if not a bit odd. As Michael commented when he emailed me the photos, “I’m still haunted by that cement room with the crooked lamp.”
One area of the hotel that is right up both my and Michael’s alley is the poolside restaurant, now named Openaire (though it was still operating as Commissary during Michael’s 2015 stay).
The gorgeous, light-filled eatery, which is situated inside of a greenhouse next to the pool, was the brainchild of Choi.
With a glass ceiling and walls, hanging topiaries and a plethora of natural light, it is easily one of the prettiest restaurants in all of L.A.
And one of its most unconventional! As the menu states, “There are no description words. I know, I know. Don’t freak out. Trust the pictures. And choose your own adventure. This is the experience. Point and build. And have a great time.” Though an unusual culinary concept, Michael thoroughly enjoyed it.
In fact, he said dining there was the highlight of his stay! (That’s his Shrimp Po’boy lunch pictured below.)
Choi severed connections with the LINE in June 2018 at which time two-star Michelin Chef Josiah Citrin took over operation of Commissary, transforming it into Openaire.
The eatery definitely has a more upscale vibe now, with mirrored tables, tailored chairs, and a marble-capped bar, as you can see here, but it remains just as gorgeous as ever. As such, it’s no shock that it made its way to the screen.
In the premiere episode of The L Word: Generation Q titled “Let’s Do It Again,” which aired in 2019, Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals), Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig), and Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey) brunch at Openaire.
Thanks to Michael I learned that, way back in 1980, the Hyatt Wilshire popped up in the background of the Season 2 episode of Hart to Hart titled “What Murder?”
Issa Dee (Issa Rae) and Molly Carter (Yvonne Orji) dine at Commissary in the Season 1 episode of Insecure titled “Messy as F*ck,” which aired in 2016.
Besides filming, the hotel has another claim to fame! It was there that George Steinbrenner got into an elevator fight with two Dodger fans back in 1981, causing him to wind up with a bump on his head, a swollen lip, and a mangled left hand.
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Huge THANK YOU to my friend/guest poster extraordinaire Michael for providing the photos that appear in this post! 
Until next time, Happy Stalking!
Stalk It: LINE LA, from the pilot episode of The L Word: Generation Q, is located at 3515 Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown. You can visit the property’s official website here.