Since childhood, Kamau Coleman found solace in spending his free days and weekends at a family friend’s duplex apartment near the Venice Beach Strip. Although the property has been around since 1964, it has never been improved beyond basic maintenance.
“You can imagine we were by the ocean, so everything was rusty,” Coleman said. The Hollywood Reporter. “For example, on the stairs, the legs went straight into the sand and there was literally nothing holding them up.”
At the start of the pandemic lockdown, the building’s previous owner decided to retire, paying tenants to vacate the property and also giving Coleman and his business partners the opportunity to involve – hence Redline Hotel in Venice was born.
The building stands out as the only Black-owned apartment hotel on the Strip, offering both short-term stays and reservations of a month or more. The name “Redline” has a dual meaning. It symbolizes racial discrimination in housing, stemming from government practices of restricting where black residents could live. Plus, it evokes the iconic “Red Cars,” streetcars that transported people from downtown Los Angeles to Venice Beach in the mid-20th century.
According to Coleman — who opened the property with co-founder Michael Clinton, director of customer experience Destinee Sales and creative director Sophea Samreth — the cost totaled just over $1 million. The price included renovations from electrical systems to plumbing, as well as the addition of a 1,200-square-foot rooftop deck with stunning ocean views. There are four individual accommodations, including a studio, a one-bedroom, a two-bedroom and a three-bedroom, all of which offer an individual story to tell.
A room at the Redline Venice Hotel with images of Red Car trolleys
Majesty Rose/The Redline Hotel Venice
Guest room kitchen at Redline Venice Hotel.
Majesty Rose/The Redline Hotel Venice
“Coming from a fashion background, whatever the design, you have to build a concept around a story,” says Samreth. “We looked at different fixtures and finishes and realized it didn’t mean anything if I didn’t have a story to really hold up. During my research and development, I delved into the history of Venice and came across this episode of KCET’s Lost LA on the role played by black people at the beginning of the region.
Each of the units features a specific theme that dives deep into everything from the relationship between Venice Beach founder Abbot Kinney and black ancestor Arthur Reese, to black skate culture in the area. To ensure that each room tells a distinct story, Redline Venice Hotel collaborated with renowned historian Alison…
