Perched on the hillside of the coastal beach town of Malibu, California, the Native Hotel (once famed as the Malibu Riviera Motel hosting guests like Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Bob Dylan) recently reopened under the new ownership of SKG Investments.
Photography by Dylan + Jeni, unless otherwise noted.
The Native hotel sits beside the Pacific Coast Highway overlooking the pacific ocean.
The hotel entry door is painted a deep blue color, and parts of the hotel’s facade is painted in a playful pink.
The hotel offers 13 guest rooms, all with an understated luxury (cacti included).
Photography by Native hotel manager Sam Shendow.
LA-based French chef Ludo Lefebvre’s offers guests coffee and waffles from a converted Airstream in the hotel’s carpark.
The lobby serves as both a check-in and lounge area featuring exposed wooden beams and aggregate concrete flooring.
The pink sofa is by Early Work and the mid-century sling rocker and chairs are by Jerry Johnson.
Folklor commissioned artists to create unique hand-made pieces for the hotel, including a circular custom wooden bench placed in the center of the lobby.
Each guest room is curated with a design reminiscent of a laid-back California bungalow—with exposed white wooden beams and a Dutch door leading straight onto a private patio.
The rooms have hand-made wooden furniture, including an African mahogany desk, a walnut headboard, and a marine-grade plywood bench.
Custom robes are made from deadstock African fabrics.
Throughout the property, vintage photography lines the walls depicting Malibu in the 1950’s and 1960’s as well as portraits of renowned guests like Bob Dylan, who wrote Blood on the Tracks in room 13. Famous Hollywood celebrity clientele often visited the motel.
The bathrooms are fitted with unfinished brass fixtures and 2-by-2 square white tiles.
A Cigar Pendant by George Nelson hang in one of the guest rooms.
Rooms open onto private patios that include artisan-made hammocks for outdoor lounging.