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Who Knew This Hotel Was Worth Saving?

Where: 2025 Avenue of the Stars [map], Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90067
April 28, 2009 at 3:26 PM | by juliana | 2 Comments

We're actually quite familiar with the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, just a hop, skip and a chauffered drive away from Rodeo Drive, as we once lived near the hotel. We've even spa'd at the hotel's Equinox fitness center and spa and we've gone for drinks at the hotel's X bar. And yes, the world's worst hotel guest, Dennis Rodman has even been arrested here.

However, its massive hotel room/factory appearance and numerous hotel brand changes left us often recommending smaller, more stable hotel brands around Beverly Hills.

But who knew the place had such great history? This was the hotel that hosted the state dinner for moon walkers Neil Armstrong and Buzz O'Neil after they arrived home from their epic voyage.

According to the LA Times:

New owners have revealed plans to demolish the hotel, no longer the VIP magnet it once was, and replace it with a $2-billion complex that includes two 50-story towers containing condos, offices, shops and a smaller luxury hotel.

The Los Angeles Conservancy is determined to stop them. To bolster its campaign, it has enlisted the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which today put the 726-room Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel on its annual list of America's 11 most endangered historic places.

This is quite a feat considering that most hotels have to be 50 years or older to gain the endangered status. The hotel was built in 1966.

Despite our aversion to staying in hotels with more than 500 rooms, outside of Vegas, we're all for saving this hotel's original structure. And we can't imagine in this economy that two 50-story towers containing offices and condos are really going to do well. However, we still like the idea of a smaller luxury hotel inside. Can't they make a boutique hotel within the hotel like Fairmont Gold or THEhotel?

[Photo: LA Times]

2 Comments

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  1. AliceTwists

    HotelChatter Member

    oohh

    this looks like a very interesting hotel. i'll have to stay there next time I am in town.
    April 28, 2009 at 3:42 PM
    #Permalink

  1. prestonmb

    HotelChatter Member

    Amazing

    It is rather amazing that someone would want to demolish a historic hotel just to build condo/office space in its place, but I believe we will see more of this behavior in the next couple of years in prime locations. Investors are ready to take advantage of cheap real estate and construction costs in order to make a quick buck in the future!

    Preston

    April 29, 2009 at 9:15 AM
    #Permalink

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