The NoHo Arts District is about as hip as it gets. The neighborhood features trendy bars and restaurants, new luxury apartment buildings and one of the most-used Metro stations in the city. And now, it’s getting the final de rigueur amenity for such a community: a boutique hotel. Developer IKON Hospitality Group, which owns several corporate-chain hotels throughout the L.A. area, is planning a distinctive modern lodging at Tujunga Avenue and Weddington Street. The site was previously occupied by Maximilian’s Restaurant, a small Austro-Hungarian spot that closed earlier this year, a few months before IKON bought the land. The North Hollywood hospitality group has been headquartered in the area for years and plans to build a project commensurate with its surroundings. Think terraces attached to suites and a highly modern design. “This is the perfect place for a hotel like this,” said Vimal Desai, developer and principal with IKON. “I want to build something that makes people say ‘Wow.’” The project, currently dubbed Ikon Hotel to reflect the company’s name, is small – just 43 rooms and no more than four stories tall, with a construction price tag of about $5 million. The lot is about 19,000 square feet. Room rates are still being developed, but will be competitive and likely range from $175 to $225 a night. “Whether it’s a suite or regular room, there will be a demand for what we are going to offer,” Desai said. And unlike some commercial development, the hotel will not require a zoning change. The group only needs a conditional use permit, because a hotel is a 24-hour operation. It’s also being favorably received. While it still needs approvals from various L.A. city bodies, the development received unanimous approval from the Mid-Town NoHo Neighborhood Council earlier this month. Barbara Nance, co-chair of the planning, land use, housing and transportation committee for the group, said the hotel should help bring more money into the area. “It’s a great looking building,” she said. “It fits with the neighborhood and it will help bring more customers to this community.” The new wave Ikon has operated under various names through the decades it’s been involved in the hotel business. The group owns a string of lesser-chains, including a Best Western at Lankershim Boulevard and Saticoy Street and a Super 8 at Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Saticoy Street. In addition, the group operates hotels in the Santa Clarita Valley, Monterey Park, the South Bay and other areas of Southern California. Recently, the group has entered the boutique end of the business. Its first foray into boutique hotels was approved by the L.A. Planning Department earlier this year. The 20-room hotel on Highland Avenue in Hollywood is set to break ground early next year not far from the Hollywood Bowl. But IKON has also suffered a setback. This summer, its plan for an upscale boutique hotel in the working class community of Pacoima was shot down by the city. The group had applied for a zoning change and conditional use permit for operating within 500 feet of a residential area – neither of which was approved. Nikhil Kamat, principal at Orange County design company nKlosures Inc. and the group’s architect on the Ikon, Hollywood and Pacoima projects, said the NoHo Hotel should be a lot easier to get through. “A hotel is allowed here by right,” he said. “We don’t anticipate any problems from this point.” In addition, Michael Elatt, a broker that’s worked with the hospitality group on several projects, is actively lobbying to get the hotel approved. “We’ve reached out to the Neighborhood Council and the local law enforcement and have received nothing but support,” said Elatt, who is a commercial broker for Global Executives Realty in Van Nuys. Hospitality consultant Bruce Baltin, a senior vice president at PKF Consulting USA in Los Angeles, said that Ikon will have little competition. The area is currently only served by chains, including a Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn & Suites, the Best Western owned by Ikon and similar lodgings. “Boutiques are not a fad and it’s going to continue. Their popularity is still growing,” said Baltin. “It’s close to Universal City and all the media in Burbank and Hollywood so traffic will be there.” ‘Above and beyond’ Ikon Hotel will feature a combination of 20 rooms with single king-sized beds, 12 rooms with double queens, 11 suites and one manager’s residence. The main entrance will be on Weddington Street directly across from North Hollywood Park. Among the amenities are a grand ballroom, fitness center, meeting room and terraces attached to some of the suites. “This is a completely different experience,” said Kamat, the architect. “We will offer amenities above and beyond any other hotel in the area.” The hotel will have a small, 550 square-foot area where continental breakfast items will be available. The work of local artists also will be showcased in that space. But the hotel will lack a bar or restaurant due to space limitations. Desai said there are many other dining and drinking options nearby. Baltin said that is unusual for such a hotel, but not necessarily a fatal flaw. “The whole hotel industry is going toward better food and beverage offerings. But I wouldn’t say it’s a mistake not to have a bar or restaurant as long as there are good options nearby,” he said. The developers hope to begin tearing down the old restaurant and begin work next summer, with a tentative opening date of summer 2015. Nance, from the Neighborhood Council, said her group is excited at the development and the way NoHo is evolving. “This is becoming more and more of an entertainment area,” she said. “We have tons of apartments, but we don’t really have a boutique type hotel. So this is a good move for us.”
Getting Artsy
