A boutiquey makeover has been on the horizon for South Park's Hotel Figueroa since the building changed hands more than a year ago, but it was originally planned to go down in phases so the hotel could stay open during renovations. Now, says the Downtown News, the plan is to close the hotel starting November 22 and keep it shut down during the whole overhaul, which is expected to last until the summer of 2016. The refurbishment will cover the whole interior, including all the hotel rooms, to "restore a Spanish Colonial aesthetic and create modern amenities."
Originally opened in 1925 as a YMCA, the 285-room Hotel Fig was until recently owned by two family trusts who'd controlled it since the 1930s. (It was converted to hotel uses during the Depression.) The new owners, Green Oak Real Estate and Urban Lifestyle Hotels, bought the hotel in July 2014, paying $65 million, and announced plans to modernize the place. Maybe they're feeling the crunch of competition already, as South Park's going to have a lot more hotel rooms soon—a 30-story Wis planned nearby, just south of the Hotel Figueroa on the street of the same name. Just around the corner, an 18-story Hotel Indigo is in the works, and within LA Live, the Marriott part of the Ritz Carlton/Marriott is going to expand into a 38-story tower on the other side of Olympic.
· Hotel Fig Closing Nov. 22 for Major Renovation [LADN]
· South Park's Hotel Figueroa Getting a Boutiquey Makeover [Curbed LA]