Urban Living in California

Thursday, May 31, 2007, by JWilliams

The dirt has barely been turned and already the W Hollywood project at Hollywood and Vine is receiving congratulatory blow jobs from the industry rags. And by “industry,” we mean “construction/builder/greedy developer” types.An article in Options magazine, “The Home Builders’ National Design Resource,” goes into breathless detail of what it describes as the first and only mixed-use hotel and Residences project in Los Angeles. Please ignore LA Live and the PaliHouse WeHo and PaliHouse Hollywood. We’re happy to report that the piece provides no new valuable information, however it does leave us with this fairy dusted quote from W Hotels President Ross Klein: “Hollywood has long been considered the heart of all that entertains us. It’s only fitting that we chose to have a W there. Our brand’s heightened sense of style, design and ‘Whatever/Whenever’ service will mix with Hollywood’s authentic buzz to create the perfect L.A. escape.” Mind numbing.

-la.curbed.com

Developers are mixing uses to maximize effect on people.

Anastasia Parsons To make breaking ground truly a groundbreaking event, a development needs to appeal to many, fulfill a community need and make use of the formerly useless. No matter the reason for construction to begin, mixed-use properties across the western United States are producing the next evolution of this multifaceted development trend and providing interesting options for retailers, shoppers and homeowners alike.

W Hollywood Hotel & Residences The idea of iconic Hollywood glamour influencing modern style isn’t a new one, but when the W Hollywood Hotel & Residences opens its doors in 2009, Dallasbased developer Gatehouse Capital Corp. hopes to put its own spin on the concept. Located at one of Hollywood’s most recognizable addresses, the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, the newest addition to the W Hotel Worldwide franchise will be a first for Los Angeles — the first mixed-use hotel/condominium residence project within the market that is.

“It’s certainly the most upscale project in Hollywood,” says Marty Collins, president and CEO for Gatehouse. “I think it raises the bar… it completely elevates the character of the neighborhood at every level.”

W Hotel developments are nothing new for Collins and his Gatehouse team. The developer is the largest of W Hotels and recently wrapped another landmark project for the chain, the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences in Texas. The project is the first hospitality/residential property for W. Additional partners for the W Hollywood include Norwalk, Connecticut-headquartered HEI Hospitality, one of the nation’s leading, privately held hotel investment companies; Legacy Partners, a developer of multifamily residential throughout the western United States; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., an industry leader in hotel and leisure companies worldwide; and architects from the firms of HKS Architects Inc., based in Dallas, and Rios Clementi Hale Studios, a landscape architectural outfit out of Los Angeles.

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