Orchid A longstanding symbol of San Diego’s history, the Lafayette Hotel & Club is a Colonial-style hotel built in 1946. The Lafayette’s complete overhaul—its first proper restoration since it was built—was designed by CH Projects and Brooklyn-based Post Company including eight new food and beverage outlets, 139 rooms and signature pool that remains the focal point of the property. The aesthetic embodies the hotel’s connection to its glamorous past while showcasing modern, yet meaningful craftsmanship within a collection of eclectic spaces. The Lafayette brings guests on a creative exploration that features an ode to the original “city within a city” hotel concept. Upon arrival, guests encounter a formal entry gilded with rich plastered crown moldings, tumbled vintage checkered marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and lush plantings. The lobby restrooms are interpretations of a Grand Hotel water closet with decorative tile, deep basin sinks, and aged unlacquered brass fixtures. The Lafayette is home to a range of guest rooms, suites, and townhouses rooted in traditional Victorian, Tudor, and Gothic details. Rich saturations of color, texture, and pattern immerse guests in a fanciful experience. Design elements include wallpaper ceilings, saturated wall tones, fabric draped canopy beds, and bar carts read as functional sculpture or art.
Thank you to Consortium Holdings for designing a spectacular remodel of The Lafayette Hotel. San Diego is on the map now for fab design!!
I sadly and regretfully have to give this renovation a thumbs down. The public spaces have some merit, but in the end, they are over the top and tasteless. While a renovation was truly needed, the public and private rooms now look like a style I’d call Bordello Moderne. Moreover, the economics of this renovation place it beyond the reach of most San Diegans, especially residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, which was one of the charms of the hotel and its acting a center for the community. Obviously the people who make The LaFayette, or should I say, re-made it, are no longer important to the current regime.