Hanjin Group to open new hotel in LA

Hanjin Group, parent company of Korean Air, said Wednesday that it will open a 73-floor hotel in downtown Los Angeles later next year, as part of efforts to expand its hotel business overseas.

The announcement came during a topping-out ceremony held to celebrate the completion of the concrete frame of Wilshire Grand Hotel in the city. 

The ceremony was attended by Chris Martin, CEO of architecture firm AC Martin, Brendan Murphy, vice president of Turner Construction, Lee Seung-bum, senior vice president of Korean Air and roughly 800 construction workers, the group said.

The group has invested $1 billion to build the 252-meter hotel that includes about 900 hotel rooms. The construction of the hotel is set to be completed in the first half of 2017.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)