This story is part of our Aughts Effect package, which celebrates 20 years of Popsugar — and enduring culture. Read all the stories here.
The Popsugar team is no stranger to travel. While we have a couple of folks in Los Angeles, most of our staff lives
in New York. That means our cover shoots — which are often in LA — require quite a bit of back and forth. Such was the case when we photographed our four Aughts Effects cover stars — Daniella Monet, Monique Coleman, Sabrina Bryan, and Tahj Mowry — in a mall in Koreatown back in June.
Not only did team members fly in for the shoot; so did Coleman, who lives on the East Coast. When we met her at CitizenM, a hotel in downtown LA, she was bright-eyed and enthusiastic, even after a six-hour flight. Her vibrancy matched the decor of the lobby, which featured pops of primary color and funky accents.
We ended up using CitizenM as our home base throughout the shoot. We did a full-on fitting in one of the hotel's rooms, which proved to be spacious enough for several racks of clothing and all the heeled flip-flops your heart could desire.
Keep reading to learn more about the hotel and hear why our team thought it was the perfect landing spot for a quick trip to LA.
About CitizenM Los Angeles Downtown
What We Liked About CitizenM
This was truly a great hotel for work travel. The location meant that we were a 15-minute drive from our shoot location in Koreatown, and not far from other popular areas of the city. Our stylist had to run all over Los Angeles tracking down the most iconic 2000s pieces, and she was able to make it back to CitizenM in time for our fitting with Coleman. The rooms, though cozy, still had ample space for several racks of clothing. We displayed all of the accessories on the roomy desk as well.
The rooms themselves proved to be highly efficient, perfect for a few nights on a work trip. The XL king-sized bed was roomy and very cozy — which actually made it difficult to get out of bed in time for our early wakeup calls.
Our creatively minded staff also loved the design touches throughout the hotel, from the paper lantern lights in the rooms to the plant walls in the lobby, which is affectionately named the "Living Room." We spent a whole afternoon spread out there, working from outlet-equipped tables and walking up to CanteenM, the bar-restaurant, for Diet Cokes and coffees. We also enjoyed a pre-dinner drink there, toasting to a successful cover shoot in the books.
Who Is CitizenM Best For?
CitizenM Los Angeles Downtown is best for solo travelers or couples looking for a hip, clean, and efficient stay in LA. We'd happily book it again the next time we're working on a shoot in the City of Angels.
Lena Felton (she/her) is a senior director of special projects at PS, where she oversees sponsored packages, tentpole projects, and editorial partnerships. Previously, she was an editor at The Washington Post, where she led a team covering issues of gender and identity. She has been working in journalism since 2017, during which time her focus has been feature writing and editing and elevating historically underrepresented voices. Lena has worked for The Atlantic, InStyle, So It Goes, and more.
