U.S. News & World Report names Pendry West Hollywood third best hotel in US
Cuningham served as the Executive Architect and Executive Interior Design Team for Pendry West Hollywood - officially the third best hotel in the nation as named by U.S News & World Report.
Pendry West Hollywood’s #3 ranking is a reflection of several criteria in three categories: Awards & Recognition, Hotel Class, and Guest Rating. To make the list, a hotel must fall at or above the 90th percentile of all ranked hotels.
As featured in Metropolis, Forbes, and Architect Magazine, Pendry West Hollywood is located on the iconic Sunset Boulevard and consists of a hotel with a private club and separate condos.
The project's inception can be traced back over a decade when famed architect Steven Kanner created initial designs for the site. Following his death in 2010, Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects picked up the project and began working with the city on entitlements. In 2015, Cuningham joined the project for a peer review, eventually taking up the mantel of executive architect and executive interior designer. With many of the project’s big pieces already in place, Cuningham led the project’s development and execution, coordinating the extensive design and technical consultant team.
“We’re passionate about designing a community experience for locals by locals and envision the hotel as a hospitality and entertainment anchor in the city.”
Michael Fuerstman
Co-founder & Creative Director, Pendry Hotels & Resorts
The Cuningham team’s first challenge was preserving the original building designs while making value-based materials selections and maintaining a close relationship with West Hollywood’s planning department. Throughout research and delivery, the hotel went from a mostly glass structure to a multi-material facade built of glass and metal panels to express motion and minimize the stacking effect of guestroom windows.
The project’s prominent corner site presented the developer with an opportunity to embrace the Boulevard’s “see and be seen” spirit; on the building’s façade, eye-catching signage and branding merge into 6,000-square-feet walls of high-definition LED billboards.
In partnership with Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, Cuningham worked on hospitality interior detailing, constructability of design intent, and made material selections informed by durability and performance for the hotel’s interior.
Pendry West Hollywood Hotel and Residences is not only an award-winning facility, but a testament to the power of assembling a team of talented and passionate individuals working towards the same goal. It will remain an iconic building in one of the most iconic cities in the world.
For more information on Cuningham's role as Executive Architect and Executive Interior Design Team, connect with Marcy Schulte below.