The Kor Group has begun construction of Santa Monica Proper, which is being developed with longtime landowner Alex Gorby and the Merchant Banking division of Goldman, Sachs & Co. Slated to open in winter 2018/2019, Santa Monica Proper Hotel is The Kor Group’s second partnership with Goldman, Sachs & Co.; the companies also teamed up for Austin Proper Hotel & Residences, which is also under construction.

The 271-room hotel, located close to the Pacific Ocean along Wilshire Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica, will be managed and branded by the luxury lifestyle hotel operator, Proper Hospitality. The property will offer interior design by international style icon Kelly Wearstler, multiple dining options by local area chefs, a rooftop lounge and swimming pool, 8,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space, and almost 7,000 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail.

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Jade Enterprises is deep into a restoration of the 93-year-old Harris Building at the southwest corner of 11th and Main streets. The developer, which has four residential complexes in the works in Downtown, has owned the property for 10 years, according to a project representative.

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Downtown Los Angeles hotels are often mammoth affairs. The proposed $500 million J.W. Marriott expansion at L.A. Live, for example, will stand 38 stories tall and create 755 rooms.

A project at 820 S. Spring St. is going smaller — much smaller. Signage went up in April for the Tuck Hotel. The 14-room establishment is awaiting inspections and the goal is to open in late summer.

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Travelers to cities with thriving downtowns, such as New York and San Francisco, have long been familiar with one-of-a-kind boutique hotels, but downtown Los Angeles has long been ruled by big chains selling soothing predictability.

That pattern is finally changing as L.A.’s city center becomes a place more people want to visit — and where investors want to make money.

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