Seth Daniel was right.
Daniel, who posts as @SethontheScene and first tipped WEHOonline to the rebrand in early March, posted a TikTok Tuesday showing the facade at 8440 Sunset Boulevard. The sign on the building reads The Valorian. The Mondrian name is gone.
Someone in the comments said the new name sounds like a disease. Yeah, that tracks.
WEHOonline first reported the change on March 5 after Daniel said sources told him the Mondrian was being rebranded. The working name circulating at the time was Valerian. The sign on the building spells it differently: The Valorian.
Daniel had also heard the Hilton flag was coming — which would make it the first Hilton property on Sunset Boulevard. That has not been confirmed. Neither has the reported Skybar rebrand. Sources told Daniel the bar would be renamed White Rabbit. Same vibe, new name, some updated furniture and a refreshed menu. Nothing beyond the signage has been officially confirmed.
The Building’s History
The 12-story structure at 8440 Sunset went up in 1959. For 26 years it was a residential address — the kind of place that attracted Hollywood’s entertainment crowd and didn’t talk about it much. The walls never did say much on the Strip.
Ian Schrager bought the property in 1996 with Morgans Hotel Group, dropped the “Le,” and brought in Philippe Starck. The 30-foot mahogany doors went in. Rande Gerber designed Skybar around a single idea: people in Los Angeles want to be seen. He put the pool at the center.
The place has seen things. In 1991, Milli Vanilli’s Rob Pilatus overdosed, slashed his wrists and tried to jump from a ninth-floor window before police stopped him. Pimp C was found dead in his room on December 4, 2007. Keith Richards was a regular. So was Elvis Costello. Britney Spears filmed her documentary here in 2008. 50 Cent put the address in a song.
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust acquired the property in 2011 for $137 million. Accor took over in 2020 through its Ennismore lifestyle brand and completed a $19 million redesign.
The sign now says The Valorian.
Related Coverage
Rumor Has It the Mondrian Is Done — Is a Hilton Next?
A Sunset Strip Revival: Ian Schrager to Breathe New Life into The Standard Site
With the min wage increase for hotel workers now a lot of hotel closures/rebrands are bound to happen. Been rumored Ramada might close too for years..