Hotel’s Upgrade Targets the Chic

Owners of the Sofitel Los Angeles announced that a $35-million upgrade of the hotel was underway and would include a new spa, a fancy restaurant and a lounge aimed at Hollywood’s trendiest crowd.

The hotel at Beverly and La Cienega boulevards is one of several in the West Hollywood and Beverly Hills area that are being renovated as an improving travel market pushes up room rates and competition in the neighborhood, said hotel consultant Alan Reay of Atlas Hospitality. Other nearby hotels that plan improvements, or have made them, include the Argyle, Le Montrose Suite and the Chamberlin.

Sofitel, the prestige brand of French hotelier Accor Corp., opened its Los Angeles property in 1988 when it boasted the new location of Ma Maison restaurant, a favorite with the entertainment industry that made Wolfgang Puck a star chef. The $50-million hotel across from the Beverly Center was even named the Ma Maison Sofitel.

Ma Maison is long gone, but Accor hopes to bring back fine dining with a restaurant by chef Kerry Simon and to attract scene setters with a bar by Rande Gerber. Simon has restaurants in New York and Las Vegas. Gerber, the husband of model Cindy Crawford, operates such popular hipster hangouts as the Sky Bar and the Whisky Bar, both located in hotels on the Sunset Strip.

The Sofitel makeover will include new public spaces and the creation of a two-story lobby. The hotel’s 297 rooms will also be upgraded with new designs and technology, including 32-inch plasma televisions and framed glass panels between the bedroom and shower that can be made opaque with the flip of a switch. The aqua therapy spa will be the first for a Sofitel in North America.

Accor hopes to make the hotel a “four-star-plus” facility with daily room rates from $295 to $1,500, Accor spokesman Scott Wiseman said. The average hotel in the area charges well over $200 and is 80% occupied, consultant Reay said.

Renovations are expected to be complete by the end of March.