Loews Hotels & Resorts is currently in the midst of a major growth and property redesign initiative, reflecting a strong national trend in hospitality renovation. The project touches 15 of the company's 19 properties, including 10 property renovations, three hotel acquisitions, and two new builds, ranging from updates to the building facades and the hotel lobbies, to new color palettes and renovated bathrooms.
With the redesign, Loews Hotels & Resorts puts an emphasis on repositioning the lobby and public spaces as areas for gathering and connectivity. Loews approached this goal by installing media walls with LCD flat screen TVs, increasing WiFi access and making electrical outlets more abundant and accessible. The design upgrades will also allow for more live entertainment and activity, which will encourage hotel guests and locals alike to utilize the public spaces for social interaction.
Beyond this common vision for more connectivity, each property takes a completely unique design approach. All the venues in the Loews portfolio have their own story, history and local character so there are no repeated design ideas from one property to the next.
Renovation highlights include top to bottom upgrades at the newly acquired Loews Hollywood Hotel, the extensive overhaul of Portofino Bay’s 750 rooms and suites, and the first ever, full renovation of the flagship location, Loews Regency Hotel, which is set to reopen early 2014. Below is a complete timeline and overview of the various renovations.
Renovation Timeline
Loews Annapolis Hotel – completed an extensive renovation of its lobby and restaurant in August of 2012.
Loews Coronado Bay Resort – completed a nine-month long transformation that included a complete redesign of its lobby, Bay Terrace, Cays Lounge, Market Café and Market-to-Go in January of 2013.
Loews Philadelphia Hotel – completed a three-month long guestroom renovation in April of 2013. The hotel will undergo a total transformation of its lobby, entrance and restaurant/bar area in the coming year.
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel – completed an immense renovation project that refreshed all 750 rooms and suites with a new Mediterranean-inspired design that enhances the overall guest experience in April of 2013.
Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel – completed a façade renovation in April of 2013 and will finish renovation of a series of rooms adjacent to the pool to create premium poolside cabana rooms, as well as a series of beach-level rooms that will feature residential-style patios, complete with fire pits later this year.
Loews Vanderbilt Hotel – completed an extensive renovation including a complete redesign of the lobby, remodeled corridors, new guest and public bathrooms, and the new Mason’s restaurant and Mason Bar in May of 2013.
Loews Hôtel Vogue – completed a property renovation including redesigned guest rooms, an updated lobby, exterior façade and the addition of the renowned La Société Bistro from Toronto, in June of 2013.
Loews Hollywood Hotel – acquired the historic Hollywood Hotel, home to the former Kodak Theater, now the Dolby Theater, a major partner of the annual Academy Awards ceremony completed in the summer of 2012. Hotel is currently undergoing a renovation of all guestrooms, the lobby, lobby bar, restaurant and meeting spaces, scheduled for completion in November of 2013.
Loews Regency Hotel – undergoing its first-ever full renovation in its 50-year history. The redesign will maintain the traditional elements that helped shape the hotel as a New York Institution, but will be complemented by new modern touches that will still uphold the overall Loews Regency legacy. The hotel is set to re-open in January of 2014.
Loews Boston Back Bay Hotel – acquired the 225-room Back Bay Hotel in Boston in February of 2013 and renovations are scheduled to begin in the fall of this year finished in April of 2014
Related Stories
Architects | Apr 21, 2022
A conversation with architect Robert A.M. Stern
The architect Robert A.M. Stern discusses his newly published memoir that touches on his childhood in New York and 50-plus-year career.
Building Team | Apr 20, 2022
White House works with state, local governments to bolster building performance standards
The former head of the U.S. Green Building Council says the Biden Administration’s formation of the National Building Performance Standards Coalition is a “tremendous” step in the right direction to raise building performance standards in the U.S.
Market Data | Apr 20, 2022
Pace of demand for design services rapidly accelerates
Demand for design services in March expanded sharply from February according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Multifamily Housing | Apr 20, 2022
A Frankfurt tower gives residents greenery-framed views
In Frankfurt, Germany, the 27-floor EDEN tower boasts an exterior “living wall system”: 186,000 plants that cover about 20 percent of the building’s facade.
AEC Tech | Apr 19, 2022
VDC maturity and the key to driving better, more predictable outcomes
While more stakeholders across the AEC value chain embrace the concept of virtual design and construction, what is driving the vastly different results that organizations achieve? The answer lies within an assessment of VDC maturity.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 19, 2022
6 trends to watch in healthcare design
As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, IMEG’s healthcare leaders from across the country are seeing several emerging trends that are poised to have wide-ranging impacts on facility design and construction. Following are six of the trends and strategies they expect to become more commonplace in 2022 and the years to come.
Energy-Efficient Design | Apr 19, 2022
A prefab second skin can make old apartments net zero
A German startup is offering a new way for old buildings to potentially reach net-zero status: adding a prefabricated second skin.
Concrete Technology | Apr 19, 2022
SGH’s Applied Science & Research Center achieves ISO 17025 accreditation for concrete testing procedures
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger’s (SGH) Applied Science & Research Center recently received ISO/IEC17025 accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) for several concrete testing methods.
Senior Living Design | Apr 19, 2022
Affordable housing for L.A. veterans and low-income seniors built on former parking lot site
The Howard and Irene Levine Senior Community, designed by KFA Architecture for Mercy Housing of California, provides badly needed housing for Los Angeles veterans and low-income seniors
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Apr 19, 2022
Multi-story building systems and selection criteria
This course outlines the attributes, functions, benefits, limits, and acoustic qualities of composite deck slabs. It reviews the three primary types of composite systems that represent the full range of long-span composite floor systems and examines the criteria for their selection, design, and engineering.