Michael Murphy shows off the 10th floor of a hotel tower under construction in April at Pechanga Resort & Casino.

The 271-room Marriott Irvine Spectrum. It’s seen here under construction a year ago. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Construction of the Element by Westin hotel at 900 North Via Piemonte, near the Citizens Business Bank Arena, in Ontario, CA., Thursday, June 7, 2018. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Three hotels and restaurants are under construction Thursday, October 4, 2018 at the corner of Day Street and Eucalyptus Avenue in Moreno Valley. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)



Southern California’s lodging business continues to grow with 513 more hotels in the works after 57 others opened over the past two years.

The annual hotel construction report from Atlas Hospitality shows 22 hotels opened in 2018 in the four counties covered by the Southern California News Group. That’s down from 35 in 2017 — a 37 percent dip. Last year’s openings had 2,863 rooms vs. 6,505 in ’17 — a drop of 56 percent.

That decline may be a fast-growth industry taking a breather rather than an actual slowdown. Atlas reported hotels under construction at year-end in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties stood at 80 vs. 59 in ’17 — a gain of 36 percent. That lodgings will hold 12,257 rooms vs. 9,504 a year earlier — a rise of 29 percent.

Plus, Southern California developers are in the planning stages for another 433 hotels vs. 359 a year earlier — a rise of 21 percent. The new hotels will hold 65,860 rooms vs. 56,923 a year earlier — a rise of 16 percent.

PS: Southern California represented 42 percent of hotels opened statewide last year vs. 53 percent in ’17 and 40 percent of lodging being built or planned.

PPS: Southern California’s average rooms per hotels recently built, under construction or planned was 153 vs. 141 statewide.

PPPS: Speaking of statewide construction, 52 hotels opened in 2018 vs. 66 in 2017 — down 21 percent. Under construction? 203 hotels vs. 145 in ’17 — a gain of 40 percent. In planning? 1,066 hotels vs. 859 a year earlier — a rise of 24 percent.