Stay At The Historic Female-Centric Hotel Figueroa During Women’s History Month + Celebrate The Centennial Of Women’s Suffrage

Photo Credit: Hotel Figueroa

One of the best places for powerful female Angelenos to celebrate Women’s History Month is right here in your own backyard at Hotel Figueroa, a historic downtown locale which embraces both the past and present of the women’s rights movement.

Photo Credit: Hotel Figueroa

DTLA’s ‘original salon’—which turns 94 this August— was “financed, built and operated by and for femininity,” according to a “Los Angeles Times” article from that time. It was also the largest project of its kind in the United States to be financed, owned, and operated entirely by women. Back in the day, Hotel Figueroa empowered its countless female residents and visitors to live uninhibited lives among other like-minded women. The hotel was advertised as “an ideal stopping place for ladies unattended” and served as a meeting place for practically every woman’s club in Los Angeles, and a safe haven for solo female travelers who were prohibited from checking into most hotels without a male chaperone. Here, progress was possible.

Photo Credit: Hotel Figueroa

The boutique hotel’s legacy is mostly inspired by Maude Bouldin, the country’s first-ever female managing director; she was also known for crashing the men’s-only California Hotel Convention, which is why owner Bradley Hall commissioned local L.A.-based artist Alison Van Pelt to paint a portrait of Maude, which hangs in the hotel’s guest check-in lobby.

Photo Credit: Hotel Figueroa

Today, Hotel “Fig” is still celebrating and honoring the powerful female residents of Los Angeles and travelers alike, even more so, if possible this year—which marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. It’s doing so through its art program, which showcases the work of L.A.’s most compelling female artists and culture-makers.

This year, the hotel has partnered with Society6 to create a Featured Artist Series that showcases the works of local independent female artists, which will debut with Women’s History Month. The collaborative program includes a rotating quarterly onsite art exhibition, special event programming, and a shoppable Hotel Figueroa collection featured on Society6.com. Award-winning artist and illustrator Amber Vittoria kicks off this quarterly Women Artist Series with ‘The Feminine Now’, exhibiting 14 original works that showcase the portrayal of women within art on display through April 1. 

But beyond it’s iconic place in history, Hotel Figueroa is just a supremely cool place to stay—for female and male travelers alike. It reopened with a fresh new look—a contemporary Spanish design accented with Old World charm—in 2018, following a two-year renovation. Of its 268 rooms and suites, the most impressive is the Casablanca Suite, one of our favorites in all of Los Angeles. In addition to its 620 square feet of space, it includes a secret passageway—behind a secret bookcase—which offers access to Casbah, the gold-walled private room of Bar Alta, another private space with a full ball which can be booked separately. Beyond the allure of having a secret room in your room, walking into Casbah is like walking into a vault made entirely of gold bricks. It’s even cooler than it sounds should you book it.

Photo Credit: Hotel Figueroa

There are also some fabulous dining options here, with fare that’s as beautifully presented as the spaces in which you’ll be eating. Chef Adrian Garcia helms the kitchens at Veranda, a Mexico City-inspired eatery with extensive tequila and mezcal menus, and Breva, which features a New American menu of everything from burgers and deviled eggs to a rib eye and fried chicken set amid a gorgeous space highlighted by high ceilings, chandeliers, tufted leather banquettes and marble-topped tables.

Photo Credit: Hotel Figueroa

Don’t miss Rick’s, a private space with gorgeous Moroccan tiles, a white plaster, Spanish-inspired fireplace and epic views of the Los Aneles skyline, which transforms into one of the hottest lounges in L.A. come summer. Trust us, you’ll be (maybe a little annoyingly) saying “Play it again, Sam” all summer long.

Hotel Figueroa is located at 939 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles