Shuttered Santa Monica Loews Hotel to Rebrand and Reopen as a Regent Hotel

Hotel’s new operator announces plans for $4 million renovation, including rebranding and upgrading accessibility for guests with disabilities

By Dolores Quintana

IHG Hotels & Resorts will bring the iconic Regent Hotels and Resorts brand back to the United States with the reopening of the Regent Santa Monica Beach Hotel in late 2023. The hotel’s $4 million renovation will include updating 342 guest rooms and introducing a new concept restaurant in collaboration with a celebrity chef.

As reported in January, The Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel temporarily suspended operations after Loews decided not to renew its lease on the hotel property and a thenunnamed company chose to close the hotel for renovations. A press release from Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT) stated that the hotel would re-open at a later date under the management of an unnamed new operator.

The hotel’s new owner and operator’s name is now known. IHG Hotels And Resorts will reopen the former Loews space and the hotel will be a re-emergence of the Regent Hotels and Resorts brand in the United States. The hotel will reopen in late 2023.

As a result of the renovations, 320 hotel workers have been laid off. However, according to union Unite HERE Local 11, the workers have been granted recall rights, free family health insurance, and pension contributions for the expected nine-month closure. The Loews Santa Monica Hotel opened in 1989 and was unionized in 2002 after a 2.5-year labor battle.

The new agreement is valued at over $4 million and was reached with the hotel’s new operator, IHG, and its owner, Strategic

Hotels. The agreement includes fully paid family health insurance, $ 3-an-hour pension contributions, and a severance package for workers nearing retirement. Workers will also receive “penalty pay” if the renovations take longer than nine months.

The renovation work will include updating 342 guest rooms, including the conversion of 20 existing guest rooms into hearing-impaired rooms and upgrading 12 guest rooms to be accessible for people with disabilities.

Julienne Smith, Chief Development Officer, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said in a press release, “More than five decades ago, Regent changed the face of luxury hospitality and set the new standard through innovation, extraordinary views, landmark destinations and exceptional service. We’re redefining what it means to be a luxury hotel by combining Regent’s renowned legacy with the expertise of IHG Hotels & Resorts. Regent Santa Monica Beach is the start of a bright future for the brand in the Americas, emphasizing our strategic focus on luxury and lifestyle growth globally. We are also particularly thrilled to be partnering with Strategic Hotels & Resorts, a trusted owner of IHG-branded hotels for many years, on this endeavor.”

The hotel will “usher in a new era of extraordinary experiences to the California coastline. The resort will set a new standard

Regent Hotel, see page 7

Sites are located at 1217

Euclid Street, 1211-1217 14th Street and 1146 16th Street

By Dolores Quintana

During the Santa Monica City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 14, the issue was raised and a plan was set in motion to use three Santa Monica city parking lots as sites for future affordable housing as part of the city’s housing element plan.

A resolution to this effect was brought to the chamber with the intention of the Council adopting it so the project can move forward. The sites are located at 1217 Euclid Street, 1211-1217 14th Street and 1146 16th Street.

The three properties are close to UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and Council member Phil Brock brought up the point that many of the patients at the medical center may have conditions or disabilities that create a need for convenient parking that would be available for the center, especially near the west side of 14th and Wilshire and on the east