AO, a leading full-service architecture firm with design expertise spanning the entire commercial real estate spectrum, is proud to announce the opening of Le Méridien Pasadena Arcadia, the first four-star hotel in Arcadia. Developed by SAICP, LLC and managed by Pacifica Hotels, the premium full-service hotel features 232 rooms and suites, a fine dining restaurant, bar lounge and 14,000 square feet of high-design meeting and event spaces.
Guests and locals can enjoy European-Asian fusion cuisine by Chef Mako at Mélange, a refined onsite eatery, as well as a curated high tea and highballs cocktail program at Longitude 118, the hotel’s hub. The property also includes a year-round heated swimming pool, a fitness center and a host of stylish indoor-outdoor meeting and event spaces including 1,800 square feet of indoor pre-function space curated for social events and corporate gatherings. The ballroom features floor-to-ceiling glass walls and doors that open to a luscious and spacious event lawn. The six-story hotel provides sweeping views of the San Gabriel Mountains and great vantage points of the Santa Anita racetracks, the oldest thoroughbred horse racetrack in Southern California, as well as the Arcadia County Park located across the street.
“We are grateful that SCAIP entrusted AO to hatch the vision and design of this one-of-a-kind boutique hotel,” said Bruce Greenfield, partner at AO. “Working with our talented and resourceful project partners, we were able to take advantage of every opportunity to create a truly luxurious and unique experience that will wow and delight hotel guests at every turn, all with a reasonable budget.”
Photo credit: Jim Bartsch
The architecture and interior design take cues from the mid-century modern design aesthetic characteristic of Le Méridien’s brand. Born in Paris in the 1960s, the brand celebrates cultures around the world through chic signature programs and engaging experiences that elevate the destination. For Le Méridien Pasadena Arcadia, this manifests through a myriad of sophisticated touches and art installations that pay homage to the rich equestrian heritage of the city of Arcadia.
The architecture draws inspiration from the 1934 art-deco Santa Anita Park, with its façade incorporating color and decorative schemes that nod to the racetracks, such as fascia elements adorned with scallop patterns emblematic of the Art Deco movement. Two custom art installations – one facing the main street and one flanking the onsite boulevard – are inspired by the swish of a horse’s tail and the colorful peacock representing the city of Arcadia. The main street art wall installation features silver inlays coated in iridescent paint on an opaque charcoal background, while a bright accent piece replicating a peacock tail pattern provides a pop of color and brightness to this wall. The other installation recreates the same horse tail pattern over a transparent golden wall with internally illuminated curvaceous forms protruding in front of the golden glass.
Photo credit: Jim Bartsch
Le Meridien will bring the first upscale hotel to Arcadia, catering to the business and family travelers of this international destination. It was of equal importance for the hotel to become a point of pride for the local community, with iconic and thoughtful design to celebrate the city’s rich cultural heritage.
Le Méridien Pasadena Arcadia is the first phase of a two-phase project by developer SAICP incorporating an eight-story, mixed-use residential community facing the hotel and consisting of 96 luxury for-sale condominiums and 12,000 square feet of retail. The podium level of the residences will be topped with gardens, a spa and gathering spaces that will be accessible to hotel guests. An upscale boulevard flanked with lush landscaping, shade tree lining and featuring street-level specialty shops will tie the complex together. Construction of phase two is expected to start in Q4 2021.
Greenfield added “Our objective for Le Méridien’s complex is to create a true mixed-use community that caters to visitors, residents and locals alike, and complements the surrounding neighborhoods. As Arcadia’s only four-star hotel and tallest residential building, this complex will serve as a new architectural landmark to the city.”
Photo credit: Jim Bartsch
AO is the design architect, architect of record and landscape architect of Le Méridien Pasadena Arcadia and the adjacent residential tower. AO partnered with general contractor Snyder Langston, interior design firm Linda Snyder Associates and civil engineer STANTEC on the project.
Recent AO projects in the region include Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano, a four-star Autograph Collection hotel inspired by and overlooking the historic 240-year-old Mission San Juan Capistrano.
About AO
AO is a relationship-focused, design-driven architectural, interior, and planning services firm helping clients create places where people and business flourish. In its 46th year, the firm has 14 distinct areas of expertise, including multifamily, retail, hospitality, mixed-use, science and technology, data centers, restaurant, healthcare, office, industrial, parking, landscape, interiors, global design, modular and transit-oriented development. AO is known for its ardent collaboration with developers and owners, and deep expertise across various building types. AO operates from studios in the cities of Orange, San Diego and Sunnyvale, CA and Atlanta, GA, where it serves clients across the Americas, Asia and beyond. Visit aoarchitects.com to learn more.
