SECTOR REPORT
Hilton Los Angeles Airport emerged from a $ 50-million renovation in April. The hotel is two miles from the airport.
An updated king corner room at Hilton Los Angeles Airport looks out on the runway below. Photo credit: Victor Elias Photography
The renovated lobby at Hilton Los Angeles Airport. Photo credit: Victor Elias Photography an itinerant guest profile( think airline crews, delayed or cancelled passengers), planning and executing a full-scale renovation is a prodigious task. It’ s exactly what the 1,234- room Hilton Los Angeles Airport accomplished when it wrapped up a $ 50-million renovation in April, in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with matches being played at nearby SoFi Stadium. The redesign was executed on a more minimalist design schematic featuring neutral tones and contemporary furnishings. And while guestrooms were also upgraded— new layouts, better lighting, upgraded bathrooms— the biggest improvement had nothing to do with aesthetic.
Hotels contiguous to airports are prone to noise pollution; soundproofing is crucial toward ensuring a healthy guest experience. At the Hilton, many rooms have vista views of the airport runways, which, though it makes for an awesome visual, also produces high-density jet noise that is no match for a normal window. Guestrooms now feature anti-aircraft-noisereducing window technology.
The hotel remained fully operational throughout construction.
Ragonese called it a“ oncein-a-generation moment for Los Angeles,” which, beyond the World Cup, will be the host city for the Super Bowl in 2027 and the Summer Olympics in 2028.
The renovation of Hilton Los Angeles Airport proves a larger point: just because a hotel is near an airport doesn’ t necessarily mean it’ s an airport hotel.“ The renovation positions us differently within our competitive set,” Ragonese said.“ Rather than competing solely on proximity to [ the airport ], we’ re competing on experience, design and connection to the city’ s cultural energy. Guests aren’ t just staying near the airport; they’ re staying at a gateway to Los Angeles.”
There is no shortage of capital going into airport hotel upgrades. Beyond the Hilton, Grand Hyatt DFW Airport, located inside Terminal D at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, completed a comprehensive $ 34-million renovation of guestrooms, F & B spaces and meeting and event spaces in February. The upgrade points to a larger trend in airport hotels— hotels that are literally inside the airport. Some— call them capsule hotels with sleeping pods— are purpose-built for fatigued travelers to recharge and relax. Consider YOTELAIR Singapore Changi Airport, located on the fourth level of Jewel Changi Airport. There, travelers can book rooms by the hour. Aerotel Kuala Lumpur is an in-terminal transit hotel located within Terminal 2 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It caters specifically to travelers seeking to recharge between flights.
AN ASSET OF THEIR OWN Like Liam Neeson’ s character in“ Taken,” operating airport hotels requires a particular set of skills. One management
14 hotelsmag. com July / August 2026