Project Name: Le Meridien Pasadena Arcadia 

Location: Arcadia, CA 

Date Completed: June 2021 

Architect: AO 

Interior Designer: Linda Snyder Assoc 

Hotel Group: SCAIP 

Construction Company: Snyder Langston 

Photographer: Jim Bartsch 

Le Meridien delivers a distinct, multi-functional event destination and four-star hotel experience befitting the sophisticated urban traveller. The design combines modernist features with Art Deco elements inspired by the nearby Santa Anita race track. Arcadia’s first four-star hotel features modern and sophisticated Art Deco style and pays homage to the city’s rich cultural heritage. 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.  

Both 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. 

Key to the design are the two custom art installations – one facing the main street and one flanking the onsite boulevard, inspired by the swish of a horse’s tail and the colourful 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 the peacock tail pattern provides a pop of colour 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. 

Various local artists were engaged and commissioned to create the iconic wall feature which comprises a multi-layered art piece involving multiple tradesman and artisans, working together, to create a large-scale, sophisticated layered landmark for the hotel and the city. 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, and the Arcadia County Park located across the street.