Seemingly out of nowhere, the Hotel Clark has opened for business in Downtown Los Angeles.
Located just up the street from freshly-renamed Biddy Mason Park at 426 S. Hill Street, the interior makeover of the 11-story building has been finished since 2014, but closed off to the public. Over the past week, rumors of swirled that the 348-room hotel had started taking immediate reservations – rumors that were borne out this week with the announcement of a “soft opening” for the property.
Originally opened in 1904 with over 500 guest rooms, the building was purchased by the People’s Republic of China in the 1980s, which intended to transform the mid-rise structure into a business and cultural center, according to website of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Science. However, at the time of a growing rift between the United States and China, and the building was sold, and eventually came under the ownership of the Chetrit Group, a mysterious New York-based real estate investment firm that has owned several prominent Downtown Los Angeles properties such as 611 Place.
Location of the Hotel ClarkGoogle Maps
The Chetrits initiated plans to reactivate the Clark as a hotel nearly two decades ago, and had completed the bulk of construction necessary to open prior to the pandemic. While multiple operators have been attached to the building in previous reports, the latest announcement indicates that OTH Hotels Resorts will manage the Hotel Clark.
In addition to guest accommodations, the hotel will also include a new restaurant – Votana, which is to hold an official grand opening party on October 15.
The Chetrits, in addition to owning 611 Place and Hotel Clark, also own the Trinity Ballroom/Embassy Hotel on Grand Avenue, which is similarly in a perpetual state of limbo with completed rooms lacking occupants. An operator for that property was announced in 2023, but the property has not progressed toward an opening.
The unexpected debut of the Hotel Clark comes at a time where the Chetrit’s real estate empire is reportedly in the process of being dissolved.
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