Hotel management contracts are utterly fascinating. They’re usually long term (we’re talking decades), which is why it’s fairly rare to see hotels switching brands with much frequency.
One interesting change in hotel management contracts recently was at the InterContinental Westminster London. It only opened in late 2012, and it was announced recently that the hotel will be rebranded as a Conrad Hotel in September. It’s extremely rare for a new hotel to switch management contracts within two years of opening, so they must have been way off on their revenue projections. I wonder what the problem is, because if you can’t fill hotel rooms at your desired rates in this economy, there might be a bigger issue. And I have to wonder if simply rebranding as a Conrad will do the trick.
Anyway, that’s just a tangent for what I find to be an even more interesting rebranding, whereby a hotel is truly coming “full circle” — specifically, the soon-to-be Hyatt Regency at Los Angeles Airport, which is currently The Concourse Hotel.
Former Radisson, current Concourse Hotel, future Hyatt Regency
This property:
- Was originally a Hyatt ~60 years ago
- Was then branded as a Radisson
- Is currently branded as The Concourse Hotel LAX
- After a renovation will be branded as the Hyatt Regency LAX
Radisson LAX room
Hyatt currently doesn’t have a full service property at LAX — instead they just have the Hyatt Place LAX/El Segundo. It looks like a nice enough property, though my beef is that the shuttle only operates between 5AM and 12AM, and for whatever reason I always seem to land at LAX after midnight.
Meanwhile The Concourse Hotel is actually the closest hotel to LAX, and you can easily walk from there to the terminal, especially if you’re leaving from Terminal 1 or 2.
While the hotel isn’t yet a Hyatt, you can book it on the Hyatt website and earn Gold Passport points and stay credit for your stay.
I haven’t yet seen official word on how long the rebranding will take, though here’s to hoping it’s fairly quick. It’s nice to finally have a full service Hyatt option at LAX (though otherwise I’m a fan of the Sheraton Gateway LAX).
I stayed at the Radisson for two months and the hotel was tired and outdated but it was a great ambience. Not expensive was the house of all sorts of people including Bikram yoga students that were congregating at the hotel for a two months course from all over the world. I was with my children and we enjoyed the chaos and the variety of people that were living there !
Anyone knows how many rooms and floors in this property?
My father Weaver Swanson was the first Banquet Manager and shortly became the Food and Beverage Director when it was the International Hotel in Los Angeles, Ca. I remember when it was being built, it was only 2 stories high at that time.
I was 4 or 5 yrs. old when my father took me to work with him. I had to wear a hard hat because it was under construction. That was in 1962. Bill Goldring was the General Manager.
This hotel was built in the 1960s as the International Hotel. The original Hyatt House was a small motel at another location, you can find old postcards of it if you search "Hyatt House Los Angeles" at ebay. I'm not sure when that hotel closed and when this one became a Hyatt House, must have been late 60s/early 70s.
That Radisson is pretty terrible. We've stayed there a few times and have been surprised at how worn and outdated it is.
I'm hopeful that the change will bring some good updates to the rooms.
Had a horrible stay at the Radisson two years ago.
I'm really curious how it'll compare to the Hyatt.
Please review it, as quick as you can !
I think the more interesting story is what's going on with the Radisson brand in the United States? It doesn't make any sense to me.
@Ben, was this THE original Hyatt? I seem to recall reading somewhere that the first Hyatt hotel was what was then-called a Hyatt House at LAX.
Ben,
The Hyatt Corporation was born upon purchase of the Hyatt House, at Los Angeles International Airport on September 27, 1957.
Is this the same hotel? Is the original Hyatt becoming a Hyatt again?
I didn't know about any of this.
I have a reservation for the Radisson LAX in October.
I hadn't realized that it was now The Concourse hotel, so thanks for that.
I guess I'll have to keep an eye on whether or not I'm staying at The Concourse or the Hyatt.
I hope they still have the shuttle buses, whatever brand they are in October.
Hi Ben,
I'm staying at the Four Points Sheraton LAX in August. Is that different from Sheraton Gateway? If so, which one is better?
@ John -- Yes it is. I far prefer the Sheraton to the Four Points, personally.
When it was a Hyatt, it was specifically a Hyatt House. At least it was in 1978 when I had my senior prom there. It's been interesting to see that brand re-launched...
@Lucky, well you know us lawyers... We're always mincing, slicing, and parsing words! But I do agree - even though I'm a hardcore SPG guy - that it will be nice to have a full service Hyatt back at LAX
The change from Hyatt to Radisson was actually back in the 1990s, not 60 years ago. I used to stay at that hotel with some frequency back in the late 80s and early 90s before I moved to LA in 1993. I would use their long term parking once I moved here, as they used to give Gold Passport points for that. As I recall, it was around 95 or 96 when it became a Radisson.
@ Neal -- Sorry, wasn't meaning to suggest it was rebranded as a Radisson anywhere close to 60 years ago, but rather that it opened as a Hyatt 60 years ago.