HERMOSA BEACH, CA-The City Council here has approved a 30-room, three-story boutique hotel that will be called the Clash. Construction is expected to start next year and be completed by spring of 2015.
“My architect came up with the name,” says Raju Chhabria, who owns the land and is backing the project with partners Rhuai Khosla and Dave Iler. “I thought it was pretty cool and fits Hermosa Beach.” Chhabria says the name choices presented to him were Chhabria Hotel and the Clash, and he doesn't foresee any conflict with the famous band of the same name.
Chhabria, a veteran realtor who owns Shorewood Realtors and South Bay Commercial Real Estate, tells GlobeSt.com that the hotel property was purchased by one of his clients as a foreclosure. “He's a big fan of mine, so about two-and-a-half years ago, he said, 'Why don't you buy it? I'll give you a deal, a two-year escrow.' I was going to do a mixed-use building, but found it was zoned for a hotel. So let me do a hotel.”
Chhabria's office in Hermosa Beach is a block away, and he also owns some retail on nearby Hermosa Ave. “So within one block is pretty much my whole life,” he says.
The Clash role model is the Four Seasons hotel chain, which Chhabria favors. “It's going to be very much high-end. Basically, I'm a big fan of Four Seasons. Whenever I go on vacation, that's where I stay. It will be along those lines, but on a smaller scale.”
The Hermosa Beach development is situated on an 11,516-square-foot lot at 1429 Hermosa Ave. Raju anticipates spending between $6 million to $7 million on construction. Coastal Commission and local building permits still must be obtained. The site will have 30 parking spaces and developers will have to pay a $28,900 fee because construction will result in the loss of one metered parking space on nearby 15th St.
Chhabria says partner Iler has experience in the hotel industry, so the team will hire its own staff and run the operation, but adds, “I will be very hands on.” The hotel will not have a bar or restaurant, but there are adjacent bars, restaurants and retail in the neighborhood. The hotel will have a breakfast area, 24-hour valet service, in-room minibars and will make ample use of the nearby ocean for sporting activities. “It will be a fun place to visit and, at the same time, relax,” says Chhabria.
As previously reported by GlobeSt.com, another luxury hotel is being contemplated in a part of Hermosa Beach currently occupied by some colorful bars and restaurants.
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