Sun Hill Advances Plan to Expand Hilton Universal City

Sun Hill Properties has moved forward with plans to build an 18-story addition to the Hilton Universal City hotel next to Universal Studios Hollywood.

The Studio City-based investor run by hotelier Mark Davis was approved by the Los Angeles City Planning Commission to expand the hotel at 555 East Universal Hollywood, in Studio City, Urbanize Los Angeles reported.

Plans call for an 18-story tower with 395 rooms next to the 24-story, 495-room Hilton Universal City, built in 1983 between the 101 Freeway and the Universal Studios theme park.

If completed, the expanded Hilton Universal City would contain 890 rooms.

The expansion project, designed by Ankrom Moisan and in the works since 2017, would retain the diamond-shaped footprint of the original Hilton, including a rooftop pool. A parking garage would serve 460 cars, in addition to the 652-car garage beneath the older building.

Originally announced as a 15-story tower, a 2018 redesign pushed the height of the tower to 17 stories, according to Urbanize. In November, Sun Hill revised its plan to 18 stories.

Pending approvals by the L.A. City Council, including a zone change, construction of the Hilton Universal expansion is expected to take 30 months, prior to the 2028 Olympics.

Once slated to break ground last year, the developer has sought public money to pay for its hotel expansion. In July, Sun Hill, doing business as Hillcrest Real Estate, asked the City of Los Angeles for financial help.

It’s not clear now much money or tax assistance Hillcrest wants from L.A. taxpayers, or whether Hillcrest has been able to obtain project financing. The cost of the hotel expansion was not disclosed.

— Dana Bartholomew