Family-run hospitality operator AGA Essentials Group is racing to upgrade its Los Angeles hotels ahead of what it expects to be a global surge in visitors tied to the 2028 Olympic Games.
“That event alone will reshape demand in Southern California, and we want every property positioned at its highest level before then,” founder and CEO Armaan Patel told CoStar News.
The push includes sprucing up common areas, adding modern furnishings, and even developing a ground-up hotel to capture demand. The firm owns and operates more than 30 hotels totaling roughly 1,200 rooms in the region and has expanded through acquisitions such as the Safari Inn in Burbank. It's also rolled out renovations aimed at younger, experience-driven travelers — as well as prices for budget-conscious consumers, aiming to offer them a higher-end motel alternative.
Los Angeles is expected to host more than 15 million visitors during the 2028 Olympic Games, with analysts from Deloitte projecting peak lodging demand could exceed available rooms by the equivalent of roughly 320,000 visitors.
That imbalance is already triggering a wave of investment, with developers breaking ground on new hotels and existing owners pouring capital into upgrades, creating a competitive landscape where even limited-service properties — or no-frills hotels without perks such as pools and on-site food service — are being repositioned to capture demand.
Other owners investing in hotel upgrades across the region include Sumimoto Realty, which is spending $98 million to renovate its Intercontinental Hotel in Century City, and PM Hotel Group, which is overhauling The Lum Hotel in Inglewood into a Tapestry by Hilton hotel.
“You can’t just be another hotel — you have to stand out, whether through design, service or experience, and those who invest in that are the ones winning,” Patel said.
Family business roots
The Patel hospitality business started as a single family‑run motel, the Bevonshire Lodge Motel on Beverly Boulevard; and now AGA Essentials, the second-gen version of the business, owns, builds and runs small hotels across Southern California. After more than 40 years, the Bevonshire Lodge is still part of the business, recently transformed into the Lyfe Inn & Suites.
Armaan Patel, who began working in the business as a teenager, formalized that experience by launching AGA Hotels in 2019 and later building AGA Essentials as its management and operating arm.
The company has since grown through acquisitions, rebrands and renovations in high-traffic areas tied to tourism and entertainment, assembling a portfolio that stretches from the San Fernando Valley to the South Bay and Southeast Los Angeles, with properties in Burbank, Valley Village, North Hollywood, Inglewood, Monterey Park and Torrance.
As it has grown, the strategy has shifted from simply owning real estate to systematically upgrading underperforming properties, layering in branding, design and operational discipline to drive higher rates and occupancy.
“Building the strongest management team possible is a huge priority because great operators create the returns,” Patel said.
Experiential blueprint
The company’s repositioning of its Beverly Hills-adjacent Lyfe Inn & Suites illustrates how that strategy plays out on the ground.
Originally opened in 1975, the Bevonshire Lodge Motel operated for decades as a budget-friendly motel before AGA bought it from the family in 2023.
The firm completed a sweeping renovation in 2024, upgrading interiors, furnishings and guest amenities while refreshing the exterior and courtyard to create a more design-forward, boutique-style experience.
It rebranded the property in 2025 as Lyfe Inn & Suites by AGA – Beverly Hills, pairing a new identity with operational upgrades including tighter revenue management, improved digital marketing and a stronger focus on guest experience.
“The location had strong fundamentals, so we knew there was immediate upside,” Patel said.
The repositioned hotel now targets younger travelers with clean, modern design and social-media-friendly spaces, a formula the company is replicating across its portfolio as it prepares for the next wave of global demand.
AGA is also extending that playbook with the Tilt Hotel near Universal City and the Beverly House opening in the Fairfax District in April, all while developing a ground-up, 94-room Hotel Blu in North Hollywood and Lyfe Inn San Diego.
Hollywood Park upgrades
It's not the only group investing in time for the Olympics.
In Inglewood, KPC Development is building the 300-room Kali Hotel and Rooftop Autograph Collection next to SoFi Stadium, the designated location of the Super Bowl in February 2027 and the Olympic opening ceremony in 2028.
Hollywood Park, home to SoFi Stadium, is also set to add a media production complex to serve as the International Broadcast Center during the 2028 Olympics. Plans call for the studios to include five soundstages, an 80,000-square-foot production office building and support infrastructure for sets and crews. After the Games, the complex will transition into commercial use for movies and shows.
Meanwhile, the city of Los Angeles is investing in a $2.62 billion modernization and expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Most of the upgrades are expected to wrap in time for the center to play host to Olympic fencing, judo, taekwondo, wrestling and table tennis as well as some Paralympic events.
Los Angeles remains one of the nation’s top-performing hotel markets, sporting a 71% occupancy rate and average daily rate of $198, according to CoStar data.
On the supply side, development has slowed. About 2,100 rooms across 18 hotels are under construction across greater Los Angeles, equating to a 2% increase in inventory through 2027. That figure contrasts with the 4,200 rooms added over the past three years, according to CoStar data.