Hyatt Hotels & Resorts' new boutique brand, Andaz, will open its first hotel in the U.S. in January.
The company is transforming the Hyatt West Hollywood into an Andaz. The Southern California hotel, which has a colorful history, opened in 1963 as Gene Autry's Hotel Continental, the first high-rise hotel on the Sunset Strip. The hotel later came to be known as "The Riot House," due to wild behavior by members of rock groups Led Zeppelin, The Who and The Rolling Stones.
The hotel, renamed the Hyatt West Hollywood in 1997, will remain closed for renovations through December 2008.
The first Andaz hotel, the Andaz Liverpool Street, opened in London in November 2007. Next year, Hyatt plans to open two Andaz hotels in New York City -- one in midtown Manhattan and one downtown.
Hyatt describes Andaz hotels as "blending personal preferences with attentive and uncomplicated service" and "reflecting the personality of each locale."