Loews Hotels & Resorts announces major cross-portfolio upgrades

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

The Portland, Ore., City Council recently voted unanimously to require all new residential and mixed-use buildings to be ready for electric vehicle charging. The move amends Portland’s zoning laws to require all new multi-dwelling and mixed-use development of five or more units with onsite parking to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Morrow High School Ellenwood, Georgia, by Perkins and Will The curving, S-shaped classroom building follows the ridge that runs across the greenfield site, reducing impact on its wetlands.

K-12 Schools | Feb 18, 2023

Atlanta suburb opens $85 million serpentine-shaped high school designed by Perkins&Will

In Ellenwood, Ga., a southeast suburb of Atlanta, Perkins and Will has partnered with Clayton County Public Schools and MEJA Construction to create a $85 million secondary school. Morrow High School, which opened in fall 2022, serves more than 2,200 students in Clayton County, a community with students from over 30 countries.

First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma City

Museums | Feb 17, 2023

First Americans Museum uses design metaphors of natural elements to honor native worldview

First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma City honors the 39 tribes in Oklahoma today, reflecting their history through design metaphors of nature’s elements of earth, wind, water, and fire. The design concept includes multiple circles suggested by arcs, reflecting the native tradition of a circular worldview that encompasses the cycle of life, the seasons, and the rotation of the earth.

J. Brett Blanton was the 12th Architect of the Capitol, serving 2020-2023. Photo: AOC.gov

Architects | Feb 17, 2023

Architect of the Capitol fired by President Biden after strong bipartisan criticism

Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton was let go this week following alleged abuse of authority, misuse of government property, and wasted taxpayer money.

Qianhai Prisma Towers by BIG Bjarke Ingels Group Rendering Atchain

High-rise Construction | Feb 15, 2023

Bjarke Ingels' 'leaning towers' concept wins Qianhai Prisma Towers design competition

A pair of sloped high-rises—a 300-meter residential tower and a 250-meter office tower—highlight the Qianhai Prisma Towers development in Qianhai, Shenzhen, China. BIG recently won the design competition for the project.

Senior Living Design | Feb 15, 2023

Passive House affordable senior housing project opens in Boston

Work on Phase Three C of The Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony, a 55-apartment midrise building in Boston that stands out for its use of Passive House design principles, was recently completed. Designed by The Architectural Team (TAT), the four-story structure was informed throughout by Passive House principles and standards.

Designers | Feb 13, 2023

Hoffmann Architects + Engineers Establishes Diversity Advancement Scholarship Fund

Hoffmann Architects + Engineers, a design firm specializing in the rehabilitation of building exteriors, contributed $25,000 to fund the Hoffmann Diversity Advancement Scholarship, administered through the Connecticut Architecture Foundation. The fund provides scholarships for students from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups who are seeking degrees in architecture or engineering.

Smyrna Ready Mix corporate headquarters EOA Architects DRP Construction Photo courtesy EOA Architects

Office Buildings | Feb 12, 2023

Smyrna Ready Mix’s new office HQ mimics the patterns in the company’s onsite stone quarry

Designed by EOA Architects to showcase various concrete processes and applications, Smyrna Ready Mix's new office headquarters features vertical layering that mimics the patterns in the company’s stone quarry, located on the opposite end of the campus site. The building’s glass and concrete bands are meant to mirror the quarry’s natural contours and striations.