The developers behind Hilton Universal City Hotel have recently been approved to expand the property with a new 18-story hotel expansion, including a handful of new restaurants at 555 Universal Hollywood Dr.
Last year, the Department of City Planning released a draft environmental impact report that revealed a second redesign for a proposed expansion of the Hilton hotel at the front door to Universal Studios. Those plans have been recently approved, according to the Los Angeles City Planning Department. As a result, the hotel will embark on the construction of an approximately 300,000 square-foot, 18-story Hotel Expansion Building in addition to the existing 24-story Hilton Universal City Hotel.
The Hilton Universal City Project would be comprised of 395 guestrooms, a spa, three restaurants, an indoor/outdoor bar, two pools, a single-level lobby lounge/bar connecting to the existing hotel building, a meeting room addition to the ancillary building, and an expansion of the existing three-level parking garage. It’s unclear what the restaurants will be, but Hilton Universal will own and operate them. Once the site begins construction, officials estimate it will take approximately 30 months to complete, meaning Los Angeles won’t see this new hotel expansion open until at least 2027.
“It’s been a long time coming, and we are thrilled to achieve this critically important milestone in our entitlement process, getting us one step closer to bringing this expansion to reality,” Sun Hill Properties president and chief executive officer Mark Davis said in a news release. “After over 30 years of serving Los Angeles and the greater San Fernando Valley, we owe these additional rooms to the region as we prepare to host the 2028 Olympic Games and tourism numbers continue to rise.”
