From Hollywood to West Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard is home to some of L.A.’s most prominent destination hotels. But it also has more than its fair share of two-star budget motels. Early next year, it will have one less of the latter.
After two years of renovations and about $2 million, the former Sunset Inn & Suites at 7370 Sunset Blvd. will reopen as Moment Hotel, a boutique hotel with 39 guest rooms and a rooftop deck with views of the Hollywood Hills.
Dev Dugal, vice president of sales and marketing for Broughton Hotels, the Newport Beach company hired to manage the boutique hotel, said construction was extensive.
“We basically took the property down to studs,” he said. “It was almost like building a new hotel.”
When it was a motel, it had exterior room entryways. Now it’ll have interior corridors. The floor plan was also reconfigured to make space for a full lobby area and a kitchen for room service.
Dugal said the hotel’s owners, Hollywood Investments Inc., saw a gap in the hospitality offerings along Sunset Boulevard that could be filled by a moderately priced hotel.
“If you go east of us, you’ve got older two-star motels and below. When you go west, you’ll be in that four-star luxury hotel area,” he said. “We’re right in the middle, in that sweet spot.”
Introductory rates for rooms at the Moment will be going for less than $200 a night, though management expects rates to be closer to about $250 a night during its busiest times. Before renovations, rooms went for about $100 a night.
The hotel will offer guests free Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service, and management is considering arranging for morning yoga classes on the rooftop deck.
Dugal said the hotel considered making more elaborate dining options available for guests, but decided against doing too much too soon.
“We thought about getting a chef and designing a full-out menu, but there are so many great options already in Hollywood,” he said. “It would be foolish for us to play with that right now before we know what the market will be like.”
Guests can now begin booking rooms online for stays after March 1. Dugal expects to soft open the first week of February.
“All that’s left are getting the final touches done,” he said. “It’s in the home stretch.”
Revolving Doors
Downtown L.A. hospitality company Innovative Dining Group will open fine-dining Italian restaurant RivaBella in West Hollywood early next year. The 8,000-square-foot restaurant is a new concept for the company, which owns and operates Sushi Roku and BOA Steakhouse restaurants. … Manhattan Beach restaurant company Modern Hospitality Systems opened its seventh gourmet burger restaurant, Eureka, in San Diego earlier this month. The company has plans to open an eighth in Palm Springs. … Walgreens Co. of Deerfield, Ill., opened a flagship store at Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood. The store features premium offerings such as a juice and smoothie bar and an extensive wine selection. … Newport Beach restaurant chain Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar opened a location in Beverly Hills earlier this month. … Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., will open a Neighborhood Market concept in Altadena early next year. The Lincoln Avenue store has already begun hiring the 65 employees it says it needs to operate the market. … L.A. luxury timepiece retailer Westime opened a store on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood earlier this month.
At Your Service
Fashion brand Halston, which last year moved its headquarters from New York to downtown Los Angeles, has named Kristen Dykstra chief marketing officer. Dykstra was previously senior vice president of marketing for the Ann Taylor brand at Ann Inc. in New York. … L.A. meat company Farmer John, which sells hot dogs, bacon, ham and other protein products to grocery retailers, has named Lidwina van Kooten director of marketing. She joined Farmer John from software company Ace Metrix in Mountain View. … L.A. licensing company Sequential Brands Group Inc. has named Gary Klein chief financial officer. Klein joined Sequential from Iconix Brand Group in New York, where he was vice president of finance.
Staff reporter Bethany Firnhaber can be reached at [email protected]
or (323) 549-5225, ext. 235.
