If there’s a W Hotel in the US that tried to capture the vibe of the brand to the fullest, it has to be W Hollywood. This is the hotel that sent us an email before staying there, saying we needed to bring our “A” party game and if that wasn’t what we were looking for, they could help us find a different hotel.
We’re not partiers but this hotel was in the perfect location so we kept our reservation. While the hotel tried to sell the party vibe with a large atrium lobby, patio bar with couches, and a rooftop bar, the biggest party we witnessed was the older man bringing two younger women back to his room across the hall from us.
One of the biggest problems with building a “trendy” spot is that trends change. What people wanted in 2010 when the hotel opened is different from what they desired in 2015 when the hotel was renovated.
2015 was seven years ago. That’s a whole generation in Hollywood time. To keep up, the hotel needed to do another refresh and apparently, the owners weren’t looking to drop even more money into the hotel.
Host Hotels and Resorts purchased the lease for the hotel in 2017 for $219 million and has now sold it to a joint venture of funds managed by Trinity Fund Advisors and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management for $197 million.
Trinity and Oaktree have worked with Marriott before, when they purchased the Westin Maui in 2017 for $317 million.
The investment partners have promised a multi-million dollar renovation project that will include upgrading the guest rooms and improving the food and beverage options. The new owners aren’t in a rush, saying it would be several months of planning before they start any renovations.
Is there any hope that they’ll get rid of the idiotic W Hotels room categories?
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