Who Owns The Cecil Hotel?

With the release of Netflix's newest documentary series Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, many people are captivated with the story of the infamous downtown Los Angeles hotel and the bizarre tales that took place there throughout its history. The four-part series specifically highlights the death of Canadian college student Elisa Lam in 2013. 

The 21-year-old tourist was staying at the budget-friendly hotel during her visit, and subsequently went missing for weeks, until she was found dead inside a water tank atop the hotel. Her puzzling story was just another case on top of dozens of other deaths that happened at the Cecil Hotel. But hers gained global attention when disturbing elevator footage of her last sighting went viral.

The notorious hotel did not just earn infamy after Lam's death. According to CNN, it had always been known as a sketchy place that housed murderers, drifters, drug abusers, and suicidal guests. The hotel shuttered in 2017 just after being landmarked.

But before Cecil Hotel closed its doors, the hotel was already trying to rebrand itself to detach itself from its notoriety. About three years before Lam's death, the hotel was renamed Stay on the Main and operated as a hotel and hostel. In 2014, a year after Lam's body was discovered, the business was bought by New York hotel magnate Richard Born for $30 million, per LAist. 

A managing partner of the hotel is Herb Chase, who said that year that a new plan was to convert the downtown lodge to a more upgraded space for homeless. But that plan fell through, according to Downtown Los Angeles.

Curbed Los Angeles reports that the space is currently being leased by the Simon Baron development company, who obtained a 99-year lease on the building. Some reports say the hotel is undergoing renovation and was set to reopen in 2021, but nothing is confirmed for sure. According to The Sun, redevelopment plans include a rooftop pool.