kodō hotel - Los Angeles, California

Vendela Bekebrede

Really unique stay with thoughtful details, spacious room, and super clean + comfortable. The staff was incredible and the location is close to Soho Warehouse, a handful of great restaurants, and my favorite coffee shop Maru. The only downside is I did find a cockroach our final day which was mentioned in a previous review so I was a little weary of this. The rooms are very well kept so it’s not a cleanliness issue — likely just the neighborhood and age of the building. It’s lovely that they offer a welcome drink although unfortunately when we went down to the bar there must have been a miscommunication and we ended up getting charged. Overall, I do highly recommend Kodō. Very thoughtful space, just a few notes for the team! Thank you. x

Audra Jones

Absolutely loved staying here!

Check-in was contactless and super easy, the room was beautiful, clean, and comfortable. We loved the free coffee and pastry perk and will definitely stay here again in the future!

Also, the restaurant downstairs was amazing and one of our favorites of the trip. I recommend checking it out if you stay here.

R H

This is my favorite stay in DTLA.

It’s boutique, it’s bachelor, it’s chic, the people are wonderful, and the design is ?

The lighting at night is stunning. So thoughtful.

I booked for a show in Boyle Heights and it was so easy to access.

This side of downtown is amazing, Bestia and Damian are nearby. That’s hot.

Alma Valenciano

The hotel doesn't have a street sign.
The entrance to the lot is in an alley that is right before a large intersection.
I texted them regarding parking and they replied right away, but the self-parking is expensive. (I think L.A. is one of the only cities where hotels charge you a lot for parking, on top of the room charge).
The restaurant staff downstairs is friendly. But no reception desk.
Electronic entry with the QR code was easy.
The suite was very large and private- basically a one bedroom apartment with a mini fridge. The decor is stunning but cold.
Because of the design choices, there is no insulation, so a lot of noise from outside since sunrise (helicopters, trains, planes, construction).
There aren't any drawers anywhere.
The way the TV receiver is positioned in the bedroom means one has to stand under the TV to change the channel. Couldn't change channel from bed.
Considering the music studio close by, the designer should've considered musicians need a place with sound insulation.
The open concept shower is sexy but wouldn't work if you have kids.
Other pros: nice toiletries, free welcome drink, warm lighting, unique experience.
Other cons: the floor strip lights cannot be dimmed at night, dining table is difficult to get in and out of.
Not cozy but very relaxing, like a reset button, like a cold shower on a hot day.
The light contours the edge of the round vanity mirror as if it were the moon.
The exposed high loft ceilings remind me of old early 20th century rustic houses in Mexico.
Considering the price and noise, I would not stay here again.

M M

Had a wonderful stay here at Kodo. Very clean and very unique! The staff was wonderful as well. Eugene was an amazing manager/host and we felt very welcomed and taken care of. As well as the long haired bartender, and friendly guy at the cafe ever day (I forgot their names I’m so sorry!)

it is really a self-serve hotel in terms of checking in and out, but I found it absolutely convenient.

For building maintenance, please check the showers though. When we turn up the hot water for shower, the pressure is so low that we get cold while taking a shower.

Otherwise, we had an amazing stay! I love how it felt so personalized and homey.

Wendy Chung

Really wanted to experience a Japanese ryokan-inspired hotel, and Kodō really hit the spot. Not only was checking in and out very easy to do, but the amenities, the complimentary beverage/pastry, and the entire architecture was a treat itself. My fiancé and I plan to return since we’re also huge fans of the Arts District. We loved that most of the things we wanted to visit and do were around the area. In addition, we loved that the Kodō restaurant and cafe were downstairs. No need to drive anywhere far for dinner and lunch.

Vanilla Thunder

Disappointing experience. We stayed for a 3-night long weekend. Overall this place has potential, but has one of the worst services I’ve seen.

Security & safety: Upon arrival, we were told to park in the parking lot in the back alley on the spot with our room number on it. We arrived late and saw a really broke-down car with a sketchy person parking on our spot. We texted the hotel immediately, they responded and said not able to contact the on-call manager who is supposed to come. The manager never came. We had to park in some other spot worrying we’d get robbed.
The area is a little unsafe at night. The whole time we were there, there is no manager nor security.

Service: there is none. They promised daily housekeeping on the website but nobody cleaned our room on day 1 and day 2, despite that we texted the manager to request for housekeeping.
On Day 3, we saw the cleaning lady and asked her to clean our room. When we came back, we found that: she took our towels without giving us new ones, she didn’t even lift the mat in the bathroom because water would come out if we step on it, she just put on new sheet for us and that’s all she did.
We texted the hotel again asking for towels, they told us to go get them ourselves from the cleaning supply room. Never seen anything like this my whole life.

Room: the room design is very nice, but many things don’t make sense. There is no full-size mirror. The water would splash the entire room when showing, there is no place to plug blow dryer where we can reach the round mirror.

Post-checkout: they required $250 security deposit but never sent me a statement after I checked out. I had to ask for it days later.

Throughout the whole time, whenever we text regarding an issue, the responder always apologizes but never actually do anything to help.

Again, the concept is cool and the hotel has potential, but it’s ridiculous that no one is ever onsite for a hotel, it’s service industry after all. The reason we pay $300+ per night is for the service. If there’s no service and we literally had to get towels from the cleaning supply room, I’d rather stay at a Airbnb.

Rayan Karakani

The Kodo is an interesting hotel, somewhere between an inn where the barkeep acts as the concierge, an AirBnB, and a Japanese love hotel. It is minimalistic and minimally staffed.
Arrival: When you arrive at the hotel, you will notice that the barkeep is the only staff the hotel has on hand. Everything from getting your room key to requests are mainly handled over text or phone call with the remote hotel staff.
Parking: This was the worst part of my stay. Parking costs $50/day for an assigned spot. The exorbitant price of parking aside, the assigned numbers were never enforced so I would always arrive to my spot being occupied. If you charge that much for parking, then it better be available and properly enforced. There is also various trash, debris, and pallets in the lot making it more difficult than it needs to be to get in and out of a parking spot. This is the area the hotel can use the most improvement.
The room: I found the rooms to be the highlight of this hotel. The style evokes a feeling of being in a natural environment and is very clean and minimalistic. The shower is in the room maybe a few feet away from the bed, but works surprisingly well. Note that there is very little room for luggage and essentially no storage space in the rooms. The rooms can also get quite noise, whether it’s the cars racing outside at night or the sound of AC/plumbing, noise control can definitely be improved here. Other than those quirks, I found the rooms to be fairly clean and comfortable.
Amenities: Minimal. If you get thirsty in the middle of the night, your options are drinking tap water from the bathroom sink or visiting one of the convenient stores in the hood nearby, the closest of which is about a half mile away and closed at night.
Surrounding area: It’s downtown LA. Expect the usually squalor that comes with that. Other than that, there are a lot of attractions in the area and some good food places around.
Final thoughts: This hotel has potential but has to work out the quirks. A good hotel anticipates and provides for the needs of their guests. In my experience they fell short, but maybe because they’re still in the growing stage. Some things like the surrounding environment can’t be controlled, but the guest experience on the premise can. Hopefully the management here will take the criticism as an opportunity to improve.