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
| Aug 11, 2010
Outdated office tower becomes Nashville’s newest boutique hotel
A 1960s office tower in Nashville, Tenn., has been converted into a 248-room, four-star boutique hotel. Designed by Earl Swensson Associates, with PowerStrip Studio as interior designer, the newly converted Hutton Hotel features 54 suites, two penthouse apartments, 13,600 sf of meeting space, and seven “cardio” rooms.
| Aug 11, 2010
HDR, Perkins+Will top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest healthcare design firms
A ranking of the Top 100 Healthcare Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Steel Joist Institute announces 2009 Design Awards
The Steel Joist Institute is now accepting entries for its 2009 Design Awards. The winning entries will be announced in November 2009 and the company with the winning project in each category will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship in its name to a school of its choice for an engineering student.
| Aug 11, 2010
29 Great Solutions for the AEC Industry
AEC firms are hotbeds of invention and innovation to meet client needs in today's highly competitive environment. The editors of Building Design+Construction are pleased to present 29 "Great Solutions" to some of the most complex problems and issues facing Building Teams today. Our solutions cover eight key areas: Design, BIM + IT, Collaboration, Healthcare, Products, Technology, Business Management, and Green Building.
| Aug 11, 2010
Permanent tribute to Daniel Burnham and his Plan of Chicago proposed for Grant Park Museum Campus
The first-place winner of a design competition for a public memorial celebrating Daniel Burnham's impact on Chicago will be announced at a news conference Wednesday, July 8, at 10am CDT. The proposed site for the memorial is on the Museum Campus just north of The Field Museum. The announcement comes after nearly two years of planning by Chicago's architecture, design and urban planning community about how to best honor the legacy of Burnham and the Plan of Chicago he co-wrote with Edward Bennett.
| Aug 11, 2010
Arup, SOM top BD+C's ranking of the country's largest mixed-use design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 Mixed-Use Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture billings index takes turn for the worse
After showing signs of stabilization over the last three months, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) plunged nearly five points in June. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the June ABI rating was 37.7, far lower than the 42.9 the previous month.
| Aug 11, 2010
International Living Building Institute established to advance 'living buildings'
The idea of a Living Building, a high-performance building that produces its own power and cleans and reuses all of its water, is gaining momentum around the world. In an effort to oversee the global development of Living Buildings, the International Living Building Institute (ILBI) has been established.
