Is the Cecil Hotel from the Netflix doc still open today? Here’s what it’s like now

A pool is being put on the roof and a description says the hotel location is ‘charming’

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Netflix has just released a four-part documentary series exploring the death of 21-year-old student Elisa Lam. She was found in a water tank at the Cecil Hotel in 2013, and her death is one of the many mysterious and creepy stories to come out of the hotel. So after hearing of these cases one question you might be desperate to know the answer to is – is the Cecil Hotel still open?

The 700-room hotel, since dubbed “Hotel Death” has become known as one of the deadliest hotels in LA. It’s located in Skid Row, a neighbourhood in downtown Los Angeles. The complex, at 640 S. Main Street, opened in 1924. It was built by three hoteliers, William Banks Hanner, Charles L. Dix and Robert H. Schops, as a destination for business travellers and tourists.

Hotel manager Amy Price, as interviewed in the Netflix series, says there were around 80 deaths there just during the 10-years she served. Over the years before and during her employment, people jumped from hotel windows and the hotel was home to serial killer Richard Ramirez.

Hotel Cecil, Netflix, Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

via Netflix

So, is the Cecil Hotel still open today?

The hotel was taken over by new owners who bought the property for $26million in 2007 with the idea of giving it a $100million makeover. In 2011, the Cecil Hotel was rebranded as “Stay on Main”, as an effort to move away from is troubled past.

Stay on Main, hotel, hostel, Los Angeles, now, today, Netflix

via Netflix

In 2014 it was sold again for $30million (£21million) to hotelier Richard Born. It closed in 2017 as it was being renovated and redeveloped into a mix of hotel rooms and residential units. It is yet to have reopened. The owners reportedly want all works on the hotel to be completed by October 2021 – but due to the pandemic this will probably be delayed further.

At this very moment in time, the Cecil Hotel is not open. But the building does still operate as a hotel and will reopen in the future. Redevelopment plans reportedly include fixing issues in the interior, and revamping a gym, lounge and rooftop pool.

A description for the hotel reads: “The venue is set in the charming part of Los Angeles, a few minutes’ drive from Los Angeles Convention Center. The Museum of Contemporary Art is nestled 1 km away. Guests may enjoy dishes of American, French, European and Italian cuisine served in Bottega Louie, which is about 650 metres away. Cecil Hotel provides great lodging in proximity to The Reserve.”

Before it closed, Stay On Main was a two star budget hotel come hostel. According to letsbookhotel.com, basic room rates for the hostel range between $36 and $45 per night.

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

Where is Amy Price now? The Cecil Hotel manager from the Netflix documentary

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Elisa Lam theories: What could have happened at the Cecil Hotel to cause her death?

Guests describe what it was like staying at the Cecil Hotel when Elisa Lam went missing