Seeing double

There are four Marriott brands in downtown Los Angeles, in two buildings. If you are thinking that does not add up, you may want to find out more about the group's strategies in twinning its brands. Pauline D. Loh reports from the City of Angels.

The carpet is a shade of orange fading into purple as you come out of the lift, and as you turn left, it becomes fully mauve while the floor to the right turns a dusky shade of sunset. That differentiates the two Marriott brands that occupy the building.

It is the first new hotel to open in downtown Los Angeles in decades and it houses the Courtyard and Residence Inn brands under the Marriott umbrella. The new building is already a visual landmark, situated as it is across the entertainment hub of LA Live, where the JW Marriot and Ritz-Carlton are already sharing a building, linked by an angled corridor.