The Westin Long Beach has new owners after the downtown hotel was sold to Khanna Enterprises in January 2026.
Boston-based real estate firm Rockpoint sold The Westin for about $42 million, according to Khanna Enterprises, about half of what the company originally purchased the hotel for in 2017. Rockpoint also completed a $23 million renovation on The Westin about two years after it purchased the hotel.
But the story of the change in ownership is much more than just the sales figures.
Khanna Enterprises, a family-owned hospitality company headquartered in Irvine, is actively managing the new acquisition and demonstrating ownership pride, according to the company’s leadership.
Last week, I met the company’s vice president of hotel development Josh Friedman, vice president of hotel operations Rod Hurt, and the hotel’s general manager Peter Sutfin, to talk about The Westin’s future with Khanna Enterprises.
“The city was on our radar for some time,” Hurt told me while sitting in the lobby of the 16-story hotel. “We intended to add a Long Beach property to our portfolio.”
The company’s purchase of the hotel was a strategic acquisition, Friedman added.
“Khanna leveraged their strong negotiation strengths,” he said. “From our perspective, it reflects Khanna’s ability to identify opportunity and create value.”
Irvine-based R.D. Olson Construction has completed work on the 8,000-square-foot lobby renovation of Westin Downtown Long Beach. Upgrades were done to the reception area, gift shop, car rental office, coffee shop, restaurant, bar, restrooms and exterior entry. Highlights of the lobby include a 15-by-30-foot living green wall, 25-foot chandelier and live strawberry tree. (Courtesy of R.D. Olson Construction)
Irvine-based R.D. Olson Construction has finished work on the 8,000-square-foot lobby renovation at the Westin Downtown Long Beach. Upgrades were done to the reception area, gift shop, car rental office, coffee shop, restaurant, bar, restrooms and exterior entry. (Courtesy of R.D. Olson Construction)
Guests sit under a large hanging sculpture at the new Navy Proof Bar in the newly renovated lobby of the Westin Hotel in Long Beach on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)
The Westin Long Beach on Ocean Boulevard. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Guests sit under a large hanging sculpture at the new Navy Proof Bar in the newly renovated lobby of the Westin Hotel in Long Beach on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)
Guests mingle in the newly renovated lobby of the Westin Hotel in Long Beach on Thursday, July 25, 2019. As part of the improvements, they also have a new dining area and cafe. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)
Guests mingle in the newly renovated lobby of the Westin Hotel in Long Beach on Thursday, July 25, 2019. As part of the improvements, they also have a new dining area and cafe. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)
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Irvine-based R.D. Olson Construction has completed work on the 8,000-square-foot lobby renovation of Westin Downtown Long Beach. Upgrades were done to the reception area, gift shop, car rental office, coffee shop, restaurant, bar, restrooms and exterior entry. Highlights of the lobby include a 15-by-30-foot living green wall, 25-foot chandelier and live strawberry tree. (Courtesy of R.D. Olson Construction)
Personally, what impressed me most was that the management team is taking time to see what’s working and what area of the hotel’s current services could be enhanced. Hurt, for example, said each time he eats in the hotel’s restaurant Navy Proof Food & Spirits, he tries a new entrée.
“Our plans include refreshing and enhancing the offerings to better align with Westin’s wellness-focused approach, along with an emphasis on local fare and craft cocktails,” Friedman, who also said a contract to serve Starbucks coffee at the hotel in the works.
Some investors may have been reluctant to buy this property because The Westin requires ongoing financial investment to meet brand standards. The Real Deal reported that a $25 million property improvement plan is required by Marriott/Westin over the next 36 months.
“The hotel is already well maintained and presents beautifully,” Friedman clarified. “The plan is to elevate and align it more closely with Westin brand standards, not to correct a distressed asset. Our renovation budget is still being finalized, but ownership’s intention is to invest more than what was referenced.”
The Westin’s history and presence in the Long Beach entertainment scene, meanwhile, is storied.
Before it was hotel, the property at 333 E. Ocean Blvd. was home to the iconic Fox West Coast Theater — one of Long Beach’s oldest movie theaters, which opened in 1925 and boasted seats for over 2,000 visitors.
My mom took me to see “Gone with the Wind” there in 1967 for the film’s re-release. She shared stories of seeing vaudeville performers there during her teenage years and offered advice: “Never stay for the second performance.”
Her life lesson to me was things that appear extemporaneous are often well rehearsed, and staying for the second show shatters the illusion.
After decades in service, the Fox West Coast Theater was eventually closed, and later, the Sheraton Shoreline Square Hotel took its place in 1988.
The only vestige of the Fox Theater that remained on site was the Venus-like statue that once sat over the theater’s marquee. That statue now lives in a garden patio area of The Westin, and the new owners are considering possible upgrades to her.
Nowadays, The Westin serves as the host venue for the The Race Car Drivers Club Gala, which honors the most influential leaders in auto racing ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Westin is also a favorite for out-of-towners coming to attend the racing events, with rooms for Grand Prix weekend booked out a year in advance annually.
This gala, meanwhile, will be held on Thursday, April 16, in advance of the 51st Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Honoring Derek Bell MBE, whose racing career is one of the most successful, diverse and wide-ranging of any British racing driver.
The RRDC will also, of course, pay tribute to the long career of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach’s late CEO and president — and longtime RRDC member — Jim Michaelian, who passed away on March 21.
The Westin will also serve as home for some Olympic athletes during the 2028 games.
The first large sailing vessel that will call Long Beach home for LA28 is the Danish training ship dubbed Danmark. The vessel attended the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 games in Tokyo.
Ulrich Skovbo Johannesen, captain of the ship, confirmed the plans for the visit. The vessel will be in Long Beach on July 8, 2028, and will depart on Aug. 2, 2028.
The Danes have already booked The Westin for their 2028 stay, which they also did for their athletes, coaches, trainers, and fans during a visit in 2023.