Downtown L.A. on the Rise
January 15, 2010 By: Meagan Drillinger
When you're in Los Angeles and looking to party like the rich and famous you probably flock to one of two hotspots: West Hollywood or Beverly Hills, where both money, champagne and gossip are constantly flowing. But what about downtown Los Angeles? Dominated by government buildings, law offices and banks, we know that this area isn't much to look at....yet.
Business Week is reporting that in the next two months Marriott International Inc. will open a Ritz-Carlton and a JW Marriott as a part of Anschutz Entertainment Groups' new L.A. Live entertainment complex. In addition Luxe Worldwide Hotels will spend $10 million to trendy-up the downtown Holiday Inn.
If You Build It, They Will Come
The hope is that the addition of these new properties will draw tourists and busines travelers to the now sparsely populated downtown area and to transform it into the Times Square of the West Coast. Vivian Deuschl, corporate vice president of public relations at the Ritz-Carlton told Business Week, "The Ritz at L.A. Live has been said to do for downtown L.A. what the Marriott Marquis did for Times Square, bringing in the tourist-friendly businesses." According to Business Week, "The Ritz-Carlton and the JW Marriott could help bring as much as $30 million in revenue to the city each month..."
We still have some time to wait before downtown L.A. is as talked about as other well-known L.A. neighborhoods, but this is definitely a push in the right direction.
