### AC + Moxy Hotels
#### Los Angeles
### BEST PROJECT
**Submitted by:** Suffolk Construction
**Owner:** The Lightstone Group
**Lead Design Firm:** Gensler
**General Contractor:** Suffolk Construction
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Two distinct service hotels are part of this mixed-use development located adjacent to the Los Angeles Convention Center. The project is housed in a 37-story tower, featuring a total of 727 guest rooms, 8,600 sq ft of restaurant and retail space, and 7,200 sq ft of conference and meeting areas. A seven-story podium provides parking for approximately 304 vehicles, while the base of each hotel includes retail shops, a bar, and restaurants.
Extensive planning and preconstruction efforts were undertaken to ensure the safe and efficient execution of major operations. This included dismantling tower cranes, coordinating street infrastructure work, and renting parking lots to mitigate potential delays in material shipments, laydown, and storage.

*Photo by Michael Kleinberg*
One of the key challenges was finding a port capable of handling the imported solar-coated glass. Initially routed through Colombia, the shipment faced significant delays at the Port of Long Beach. The team successfully rerouted the glass to Houston, where it was transported by train to Los Angeles. However, after hurricane damage impacted the Port of Houston, the shipment had to be trucked in from Miami.
The project also faced challenges due to travel restrictions, as the New York-based developer had limited access to the site. To address this, the contractor utilized OpenSpace, a 360-degree video platform that documented construction progress, enabling the team to virtually monitor the building’s layout and make necessary design modifications in real time.
Completed on time and within budget in June 2023, the AC + Moxy development is within walking distance of several entertainment venues in Los Angeles. The project has contributed to the revitalization of the downtown urban core, improving pedestrian walkability and enhancing the street front.
One of the standout features of the building is a 15,000-sq-ft LED display screen that wraps around the corner at an 82.5-degree angle. Installed before the building’s completion, the display allowed the owner to start generating advertising revenue a full year before the hotels began accepting bookings. To achieve this, the project team had to ensure that fire and safety systems were operational up to the eighth floor.
Source: enr.com