Several older, downtown Los Angeles hotels are receiving makeovers ranging from minimal to radical. Why? The Los Angeles Times says we should thank the new, 54-story tower at the LA Live entertainment centerfor upping the ante.
The tower - with about 1,000 rooms in JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels - has not only altered the city's skyline but it has upped the ante for nearby hotels, the paper says.
"If (owners of existing hotels) didn't have an incentive before, now they have an incentive (to renovate)," Bruce Baltin, senior vice president for Colliers PKF Consulting USA, told the paper. "If a hotel doesn't compete, they are left behind."
The LA Times cites these examples:
Luxe City Center: Across the street from LA Live and Staples Center, what had been a humble, three-star Holiday Inn has been given a $10-million makeover and transformed into the Luxe City Center. "We want to be something more unique and boutique," hotel general manager John Kelly told the paper. The hotel will gain a star, so expect to pay more than when it was a Holiday Inn. A quick check on a room for tonight, Jan. 3, shows Web-only rates - that include Internet access - starting at $184.
Westin Bonaventure: Less than a mile away, the Westin - the city's largest hotel - has nearly completed a $30 million renovation. Expect to find new carpeting, light fixtures, artwork, drapes, refrigerators and more. The renovation - in the works for years - should help the Westin compete, hotel chief Michael Czarcinski told the paper. "It's good to keep up with the new entrants into the marketplace," he said. He attributes his hotel's 10% year-over-year boost in 2011 reservations partly to the upgrades and partly to the new business generated by LA Live events.
Omni Hotel: This four-diamond hotel on Bunker Hill is in the midst of a $14 million renovation of both its guest rooms and its meeting space. The work should be done by February.
Wilshire Grand: Less than a mile away, this aging hotel and adjoining offices will be demolished to make way for a $1-billion, 40-story luxury hotel and office space complex. It will be part of a project headed by Korean Air Lines. The hotel will close by the end of this year.
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Posted Jan 3 2011 9:35AM
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