Who are some of the top hospitality architecture firms in California?  Read on for more on the California design teams that are making it happen and the new hotel developments that embody their work.

As GDP grew by 4.9% in Q3 2023, effectively showing signs that the US economy has avoided recession, hotel design and construction shows no signs of slowing down. See our blog on how the GDP comeback is positively affecting construction here. With more hotel construction, more architects will be needed to design new hotels in California that are in an arms race with each other to offer the best amenities and short-term living spaces for their guests.

Based on data from BuildCentral’s HotelMarketData about the number of rooms in planning for this year, here are some notable hotel architects and projects in California for 2024. 

 

Gensler: 

First up is Gensler, which has 2,342 rooms on the docket across California for 2021. The firm is charged with building a new tower for the JW Marriot Los Angeles L.A. LIVE. BuildCentral has been keeping tabs on this project since 2015, and the construction is still in its planning and approval stage. Renderings for the new expansion have been reviewed by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee. 

Construction Type:	New	Chain:	JW Marriott
Estimated Value:	$700 million	Franchise:	Marriott International Inc.
Rooms:	850	Scale:	Luxury

Location:	Los Angeles, CA 90015. 900 W Olympic Blvd (View Map)
Ancillary Facilities:	Food Service, Retail, Pool, Gym
Details:	Plans call for the construction of a new expansion to the 878-room JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE. The project includes a new 38-story, 861-room high-rise tower connected to the existing hotel, as well as 51,000 square feet of conference space built on the roof of the West Parking Garage that will be connected to both hotel towers. Also planned are 7,800 square feet of ground-floor retail and some entertainment space, plus a fitness center and swimming pool. This project will give the hotel a total of 1,756 rooms.

Stage:	Planning (Active)
Construction End:	N/A
Bid Due Date:	N/A

AO – Architects Orange: 

The Banc Hotel and Office Tower in Irvine headlines AO’s hotel construction plans for 2021 in California. The firm has 2,314 rooms in planning for 2021. The Irvine Planning Commission approved a three-year time extension request for the hotel’s construction. 

Construction Type:	New	Chain:	Independent – Not Yet Determined
Estimated Value:	$5-$25 million	Franchise:	Independent – Not Yet Determined
Rooms:	258	Scale:	Not Yet Determined

Location:	Irvine, CA 92612. 18582 Teller Avenue (View Map)
Ancillary Facilities:	Food Service, Pool, Gym
Details:	Plans call for the construction of the new 11-story Banc hotel and office development. The project will include 258 hotel rooms, 143,721 square feet of office space, and 11,269 square feet of medical office space. The hotel will include a spa, fitness center, and restaurants as well as a nine-level parking structure.

Stage:	Planning (Active)
Construction End:	N/A
Bid Due Date:	N/A

The Banc project is not, however, all that AO is getting up to in The Golden State. Drive an hour north to Los Angeles, and you can see the site for the Exposition Point Hotel. The development plan has been approved and this hotel is expected to open in 2024. 

Construction Type:	New, Repurpose/Conversion	Chain:	Unknown – Not Yet Determined
Estimated Value:	$5-$25 million	Franchise:	Unknown
Rooms:	252	Scale:	Not Yet Determined

Location:	Los Angeles, CA 90037. 3900 South Figueroa Street (View Map)
Details:	Plans call for the construction of a 252-room hotel as a part of The Fig mixed-use development.

Stage:	Planning (Active)
Construction End:	N/A
Bid Due Date:	N/A

Jensen Design Architects: 

The Redmond, Wash.-based firm has four planned projects in California for 2021, totaling 746 hotel rooms in planning. Jensen’s 1290 Coleman Ave Extended-Stay Hotel project was approved by the City of Santa Clara, but that approval is set to be appealed to the City Council with no hearing date yet chosen. 

Construction Type:	New	Chain:	Unknown – Not Yet Determined
Estimated Value:	$5-$25 million	Franchise:	Unknown
Rooms:	201	Scale:	Not Yet Determined

Location:	Santa Clara, CA 95050. 1290 Coleman Ave (View Map)
Ancillary Facilities:	Food Service, Pool, Gym
Details:	Plans call for the construction of a new a 201-room extended-stay brand hotel as a a part of a six-story, 396-room dual-brand hotel. The property will include a pool, fitness center, and food and beverage amenities as well as a one-level underground parking structure with 284 stacked parking stalls.

Stage:	Planning (Active)
Construction End:	N/A
Bid Due Date:	N/A

Jensen has another dual-hotel project in the works just north of the Coleman Avenue site in Fremont, Calif. With its planned Residence Inn and AC Hotel, Jensen will have built a nearly 230,000 square-foot property. The building permit for the construction was still under review. 

Lowney Architecture: 

Lowney Architecture has 557 hotel rooms in planning for 2021. Headlining the Oakland-based firm’s plans is the S De Anza Blvd Hotel. This plan is very much in its early stages, though: a fee estimate for building permits had been requested, but a permit application had not yet been submitted. 

Construction Type:	New
Estimated Value:	$5-$25 million
Rooms:	132

Location:	San Jose, CA 95129. 1510 S De Anza Blvd (View Map)
Details:	Plans call for the construction of a new four-story, 147,134-square-foot hotel with 132 guestrooms. The property will include an underground parking structure. An existing building will be demolished.

Stage:	Planning (Active)
Construction End:	N/A
Bid Due Date:	N/A

Although the San Jose project is Lowney’s largest urban endeavor in California this year, the firm has plans for the Metro Center and Shell Hotel in Foster City. While the Foster City Council approved the site in July 2021, construction is not expected to begin until early 2023. 

Construction Type:	New
Estimated Value:	$5-$25 million
Rooms:	151

Location:	Foster City, CA 94404. Metro Center Boulevard and Shell Boulevard (View Map)
Ancillary Facilities:	Food Service, Gym
Details:	Plans call for construction of a seven-story hotel with 151 guest rooms and a restaurant. The building will total 83,187 square feet and will also include a meeting space, rooftop terrace bar, lobby lounge, fitness room, business center, sundry sales and guest laundry room.

Stage:	Planning (Active)
Construction End:	N/A
Bid Due Date:	N/A

 

Handel Architects:   

One need not travel far from AO’s planned Exposition Point Hotel to find Angels Landing, the ambitious undertaking of Handel Architects, which has planned to build 515 rooms in 2021. Although the project was approved by the Board of Directors of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, it is still without a construction schedule. The project could begin in either 2022 or 2023. 

Construction Type:	New
Estimated Value:	$1500 million
Rooms:	515

Location:	Los Angeles, CA 90013. 351 S Hill St (View Map)
Ancillary Facilities:	Food Service
Details:	Plans call for the construction of two mixed-use skyscrapers with 252 rental apartments, 180 for-sale condominiums, 72,091 square feet of retail/restaurant space, and two hotels with a total of 515 guest rooms. There will be a publicly accessible urban park on the ground level. Thirteen of the apartments will be affordable.

Stage:	Planning (Active)
Construction End:	N/A
Bid Due Date:	N/A

Pushed off-track as the hotel industry and, undoubtedly, hotel construction has been, several projects – and big ones, at that – are planned for the near future. 

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