R.D. Olson Construction to Build Four-Star Los Angeles Hotel Palomar

“This top-to-bottom overhaul will turn what had been a two-star hotel into an appealing destination for the sophisticated traveler,” said Joe Kilar, President of R.D. Olson Construction of Irvine. “We are delighted to work with talented designers to upgrade the property to a style befitting its prime location.”

When completed at the end of February 2008, the property, which is owned by Behringer Harvard Real Estate Investments of Dallas, will be managed by the Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants Group. The hotel will remain open during the construction.

The renovation will be thorough inside and out in a style best described as contemporary. L.A guest rooms will sizzle with black and red lacquer furnishings, faux snakeskin dresser tops and snakeskin patterned carpet. The old bathrooms will be gutted and replaced, elevators modernized and the public lobby, ballroom, restaurant, bar and boardrooms will be remodeled with high-end millwork and stone finishes.

Exterior improvements include updated window systems, new stone paving around the pool and entry, an outdoor fireplace, and stacked-stone low planter walls along the building’s front.

The new hotel plan consists of public spaces at the ground level, parking on levels two through five, hospitality suites and a fitness center on the 6th floor, and 267 guest rooms on floors seven through 19. Each guest floor will feature corner suites with hot tubs. A Presidential suite will be located on the 9th floor.

The hotel originally opened in 1972 as a Holiday Inn, later becoming a Doubletree Inn and, most recently, the Westwood Hotel.

Robert Olson founded R.D. Olson Construction in 1979. It has since grown into one of the largest general contracting companies in California. The company has built such establishments as Ojai Valley Inn & Spa Resort, Ojai; Marriott Newport Coast Villas, Newport Beach; Glen Ivy Hot Springs & Spa, Corona; Brentwood County Club, Los Angeles and more than 300 restaurants nationwide. Current projects under construction include Renaissance ClubSport, Aliso Viejo; Burbank Residence Inn, Burbank; Union Station Village, Los Angeles; and Marriott’s Shadow Ridge, Palm Desert.