The Santa Monica Beach coastline. Photo Credit: IHG Hotels & Resorts
The former Santa Monica Loews Beach Hotel, which closed earlier this year when Loews elected not to renew its lease, will reopen in late 2023 as the Regent Santa Monica Beach. The 342-room property, currently in the midst of an extensive renovation, will mark the luxury brand's return to the United States and become the flagship U.S. hotel when it opens in western Los Angeles County.
The reimagined property, which is steps from the Santa Monica Pier on the Southern California coast, will feature completely redesigned rooms and suites, as well as a beachfront pool deck with multiple pools, a spa and a wellness center. The new Regent also promises a restaurant in collaboration with a celebrity chef, along with a high-end artisanal market.
IHG Hotels & Resorts acquired the 50-year-old Regent brand in 2018 and is now growing it as an ultraluxury option in its portfolio. There are currently nine operating Regent properties, in Asia and Europe, with an additional 10 hotels in the pipeline. The brand's former Los Angeles property, the famed Regent Beverly Wilshire, now operates as the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel. Four Seasons acquired the existing Regent portfolio in the early 90s, but not the Regent name.
The Regent Santa Monica Beach will bring the name back to Los Angeles County, and the property will join a lineup that includes the Regent Shanghai, Regent Phu Quoc, Regent Chongqing, the soon-to-open Regent Hong Kong and the Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel. Younes Atallah, formerly the general manager of the Loews Santa Monica and the California Hotel & Lodging Association's 2022 General Manager of the Year, has been tapped as GM of the new Regent Santa Monica Beach.