A cool boutique hotel in spitting range of LAX? It sounds good on paper, but The Custom Hotel has had its struggles in becoming much of a hot spot, despite a fairly raging pool party early on in its career and sufficient local awareness of its restaurant Bistrotek. But Westchester is a bit of a hard sell if your kid isn’t going to Otis, isn’t it?
Anyway, the whole situation is now on Joie de Vivre’s shoulders, as reps from the California hotel company behind Hotel Angeleno and The Erwin announce a new affiliation with The Custom. In July, Joie plans to debut a new bi-level restaurant overlooking the pool here called Deck 33, with former Ozumo San Francisco, Gonpachi Beverly Hills, and Cafe del Rey opening chef Katsuo Nagasawa overseeing F&B.;
A PR rep tells is Naga’s food will start with Pacific Rim influences, while the hotel is trying to up the cool factor with an August relaunch that includes “social floors” and an art gallery. Find out if it brings a bigger crowd this August, when Joie’s rejiggered Custom officially launches.
