Three and a half years after the economy pulled the rug out from under developer Indivest's half-built Westwood hotel project, Plaza La Reina, work is back on. Kambiz Hekmat, Indivest's CEO, told us back in 2010 that the bank yanked financing after they'd built four and a half floors of underground parking and one floor of retail space on the Moule & Polyzoides-designed hotel. Though we can't get a hold of Hekmat, it's clear someone gave him some coin to get the 44-room, five-story extended-stay hotel back on track; workers are now running around the site adding on floors. Indivest is also working on the Gayley at Wilshire project, another hotel just a few blocks west. Hekmat is currently battling it out with UCLA over the use of an alley Indivest needs for construction on that project. UPDATE: Indivest rep Michael Bryant says work should take a year and a restaurant is expected to move in on the ground floor (it'll share it with the lobby). He also says "battling" is probably too strong a word to describe the dealings between his company and UCLA.
· Westwood Still Waiting for Extended-Stay Hotel Plaza La Reina [Curbed LA]
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