AC Hotel Opens in LA’s South Bay

AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay. Image courtesy of Marriott International

AC Hotel Los Angeles South Bay in El Segundo, Calif., joins the growing pool of new hotels in metropolitan Los Angeles. Acting on behalf of Welcome Group Inc., owner and developer of the 180-key property, R.D. Olson Construction completed building activity in time for the hotel to make its official debut just weeks ago in late July.

General contractor R.D. Olson kicked off construction of AC Hotel in early 2018. The approximately 98,700-square-foot building, erected from the ground up, stands six stories at 2130 Maple Ave. Designed by AXIS/GFA Architecture + Design, AC Hotel pays homage to El Segundo’s aeronautical history and active aviation and tech industries with a combination of angular and rounded surfaces. The property features more than 7,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor event space, including tech-enabled meeting spaces, and a host of amenities common to Marriott International’s AC Hotel brand, including a European-style restaurant and a lobby lounge that acts as a communal workspace by day and social gathering spot by night.

Lively lodging market

The national lodging sector may be headed for a brief slowdown, but hotel construction is still booming in California. The number of hotels under construction in the first half of 2019 increased 28 percent to 234 properties from the first half of 2018, according to Atlas Hospitality Group’s California development survey 2019 mid-year report. A large portion of the activity was centered in Los Angeles County, where 42 hotels totaling 6,377 keys were under construction between January and June of this year. And Los Angeles leads the state in the number of hotels in planning; a whopping 268 properties totaling 40,190 keys are in the works, compared to second-place San Diego County, where 98 hotels totaling 17,870 keys are in the planning stage.

R.D. Olson has been active in both of California’s leading hotel markets of late. In May, the company commenced renovation of Kimpton Hotel Wilshire, a 74-key property located between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. And during the first quarter of 2019, the Irvine, Calif.-based general contracting and construction management firm broke ground on the 223-key, dual-branded Hilton Garden Inn and Home2 Suites property near Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.