The Century Plaza Hotel, a 1960s-era landmark in Century City that has played host to several U.S. presidents, has been sold for $366.5 million.
Next Century Associates, led by Los Angeles real estate investor Michael Rosenfeld, announced Monday that it bought the 726-room hotel on Avenue of the Stars from Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc., a real estate investment trust in San Clemente.
The arc-shaped, 19-story structure was built in 1966 as the centerpiece of Century City, an office, retail and residential development carved out of the former back lot of the 20th Century Fox film studio.
"This is a rare opportunity to buy a jewel in my hometown," said Rosenfeld, founder and chief executive of Century City-based Woodridge Capital and managing partner of Next Century, which also includes New York investment firm D.E. Shaw group.
The Century Plaza, which will continue to operate as a Hyatt Regency, "is an iconic building in a fantastic location," said hotel industry consultant Alan Reay of Atlas Hospitality Group.
The sale price of $505,000 per room is high -- but not a record, Reay said. An interest in the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado went for more than $1 million per room in 2005. The Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena -- formerly a Ritz-Carlton hotel -- sold this year for $434,000 per room.
Sunstone bought the Century Plaza for $293 million in 2005 and then launched a renovation program valued at more than $22 million that upgraded the guest rooms and common areas.
Rosenfeld said he planned further improvements, such as renovating the meeting areas and a possible expansion of the ballroom, which is already the largest in Los Angeles. "Our goal is to continue to enhance the hotel."
Part of the what made the Century Plaza an appealing investment, Rosenfeld said, is its proximity to several high-end office and residential structures.
Right next door, a 42-story luxury condominium tower is under construction in which a unit sold this year for a record $15 million. Five more condominium buildings are planned in Century City.
Across from the hotel on Avenue of the Stars is a $350-million office and retail complex that was completed last year where ABC Entertainment Center once stood.
It's home to talent agency Creative Artists Agency and other entertainment industry tenants. Other nearby office building that command top rents include SunAmerica Center, MGM Tower and Fox Plaza.
