Ennismore, the company that brought the Hoxton Hotel to the long-vacant Los Angeles Railway Building on Broadway, has plans for another adaptive reuse project one block east.

This week, Ennismore announced that it is partnering with property owner Shivom, LLC on plans to open Mama Shelter Downtown LA in the Mart South Building at 124 E. Olympic Boulevard. The vacant 1950s structure's upper floors will be converted to 149 guest rooms, while its rooftop will be activated with a pool and amenity deck.

Mart SouthHunter Kerhart Architectural Photography

Among the 149 keys at the Downtown Mama Shelter will be 145 standard rooms and four suites. Plans also call for three food and beverage venues on the ground floor and rooftop, as well as a fitness center and a parking garage.

The new project team represents a changing of the guard from when Shivom acquired the property in late 2022. At that time, Hospitality Solutions was a partner on the project, while SBE had been tapped to curate the food and beverage offerings.

Rooftop deck of the Mart South HotelKFA Architecture

Mart South, an extension of the massive California Market Center across the street, was entitled for a hotel conversion in 2019 by its prior owner, Jamison Services. In the years since, Brookfield has completed a $250-million renovation of California Market Center, and signed companies such as Adidas and Forever 21 parent company SPARC to long term leases.

Mama Shelter, which originated in Paris in 2008, already operates one outpost in the Los Angeles area - a 70-room hotel at 6500 Selma Avenue in Hollywood. To date, that is the chain's only location in the United States.

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