Skift Take
Millennial and Gen Z designers just opened a boutique in California that may overturn assumptions about beachside hotels. Plus, its web-based app hints at what next-gen guests expect in service.
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The Orli Hotel in La Jolla, California, is betting that travelers with a next-gen mindset are open to a coastal getaway that doesn't have an overtly beachy feel. A pair of millennial and Gen-Z founders have created a high-design boutique hotel in their seaside hometown, attempting to depart from cliché.
Thanks to co-founders, owner-operators, and siblings Hailey Waitt and Max Waitt, the Orli Hotel has played against type since it opened in the past year. Instead of pastels, expect dark metal finishes alongside blue and amber tones that reflect local tidepools.
Instead of nautical knickknacks and color-block patterns, expect rich textures and echoes of Parisian Art Deco and Modernism.
Instead of shutters and ceiling fans in a bungalow-style layout, expect custom-blown glass chandeliers in the entryway of a tall 1913 structure.
Instead of wings full of rooms, expect only 13 guestrooms.
For help with the hotel's "luxe homestay" vibe, the Waitts tapped ML Design Co., a hospitality design firm led by hometown native Maddie Lord. Together, their design choices echo a broader trend of proprietor-led b