What We Build
Hotel construction and renovation in Los Angeles
Guest rooms and public areas renovated floor by floor, in a hotel that remains open during construction.
Project completed as General Superintendent at Shawmut Design and ConstructionBuilt by Shawmut Design and Construction. Luke MacDougall, General SuperintendentLuke MacDougall’s project as General Superintendent at Shawmut Design and ConstructionShawmut Design and ConstructionLuke MacDougall, General Superintendent 
Project completed as General Superintendent at Shawmut Design and ConstructionBuilt by Shawmut Design and Construction. Luke MacDougall, General SuperintendentLuke MacDougall’s project as General Superintendent at Shawmut Design and ConstructionShawmut Design and ConstructionLuke MacDougall, General Superintendent 
Project completed as General Superintendent at Shawmut Design and ConstructionBuilt by Shawmut Design and Construction. Luke MacDougall, General SuperintendentLuke MacDougall’s project as General Superintendent at Shawmut Design and ConstructionShawmut Design and ConstructionLuke MacDougall, General Superintendent
What decides the job
What we plan around on a hotel
A hotel renovation depends on getting the mockup room right, and repeating it to the same quality standard. The work moves floor by floor, with the owner constantly in the loop on schedule and when rooms come back online.
- 01
Rooms out of service
Every floor handed to construction is revenue the hotel is not earning, so the floor sequence and the turnover dates are agreed with the operator first.
- 02
The model room
One room is built complete and reviewed by the owner, the designer and the brand before the detail is repeated through the building.
- 03
Guests next door
Noise, dust, elevators and corridors are managed around occupied floors, with alignment on working hours.
See where every room stands
A live tracker of every floor, room and trade
On a hotel the owner’s question is how many rooms are ready. We maintain a tracker of each room and each trade, so the owner is informed of schedule status and when the rooms will be delivered.
Hotel renovation, rough-in progress
Updated every day from the field
- 24%Overall progress
- 125Guest rooms
- 2Floors under construction
- 3Floors pending start
Level 2
26 rooms · 257 of 338 steps
76%In progress26 rooms pending completion
- Layout100%
- Framing100%
- Electrical100%
- Plumbing100%
- Low voltage88%
- Door frames100%
- Fire sprinkler100%
- Fan coils73%
- Lighting12%
- Acoustic54%
- Sound clips62%
- Windows100%
- Review0%
Level 3
29 rooms · 131 of 377 steps
35%In progress29 rooms pending completion
- Layout100%
- Framing100%
- Electrical41%
- Plumbing55%
- Low voltage24%
- Door frames0%
- Fire sprinkler31%
- Fan coils0%
- Lighting0%
- Acoustic0%
- Sound clips0%
- Windows100%
- Review0%
Level 4
28 rooms · 0 of 364 steps
0%Pending start28 rooms pending completion
- Layout0%
- Framing0%
- Electrical0%
- Plumbing0%
- Low voltage0%
- Door frames0%
- Fire sprinkler0%
- Fan coils0%
- Lighting0%
- Acoustic0%
- Sound clips0%
- Windows0%
- Review0%
Level 5
24 rooms · 0 of 312 steps
0%Pending start24 rooms pending completion
- Layout0%
- Framing0%
- Electrical0%
- Plumbing0%
- Low voltage0%
- Door frames0%
- Fire sprinkler0%
- Fan coils0%
- Lighting0%
- Acoustic0%
- Sound clips0%
- Windows0%
- Review0%
Level 6
18 rooms · 0 of 234 steps
0%Pending start18 rooms pending completion
- Layout0%
- Framing0%
- Electrical0%
- Plumbing0%
- Low voltage0%
- Door frames0%
- Fire sprinkler0%
- Fan coils0%
- Lighting0%
- Acoustic0%
- Sound clips0%
- Windows0%
- Review0%
388 of 1625 steps complete across 125 rooms on 5 floors
Before you start
The pre-mobilization checklist
We believe most of what goes wrong on a construction project can be prevented with detailed planning up front and alignment across the full team. This is the list we work through with an owner before mobilization, so that on the first day of construction we have a clear path forward.
Who provides what
- Every owner-furnished item is on a delivery log in the schedule, with who buys, receives, stores, installs and connects it, and the date it is needed on site.
- Furniture, equipment, signage, audiovisual, security and data are each assigned to the owner or the contractor, down to who provides the conduit, the cable and the devices.
- For each owner-furnished item, the backing, power, conduit and final connection our trades still owe it are assigned and priced.
- The owner’s own vendors are named, with their insurance, the site rules and the date their in-wall requirements are due before walls close.
- Utility accounts for power, gas, water and data are open in the right name, and each provider has confirmed its account in writing.
Design and decisions
- The set issued for construction includes every agreed value engineering change and bid answer, in every discipline.
- Every finish is tagged to one product, color and finish, and each open selection has a decision date worked back from its lead time.
- Each allowance names what it stands in for, who answers it and the date it becomes a firm price.
- The construction plans include layout dimensions for all partitions and relate back to grid lines.
- A consolidated RCP has been issued, showing the ceiling finishes with all MEP systems overlaid.
- The owner’s equipment list, with each item’s power, heat and weight, is with the engineers, so the service, the cooling and the structure are sized from it.
Permits and approvals
- The building permit is issued, and its description names every scope that will be inspected.
- Whoever controls the building, the landlord or the operator, has approved the drawings and the construction rules in writing.
- Approvals outside the building department are tracked with the agency, who holds each one and its date: public works, each utility, the fire department and the air quality district.
- Every deferred submittal, such as fire sprinkler, fire alarm or storefront, has its own plan check time on the schedule.
- The special inspector has been hired by ownership, and their contact information has been shared with the team.
Procurement
- Long lead items are identified, and drop-dead dates have been established from each item’s required-on-job date and estimated lead time.
- Items that wait on an outside approval are logged with that approval as their trigger, such as switchgear, which waits on the utility.
- The submittal schedule has been reviewed and confirmed with all reviewers, using their real review times, with a resubmission round carried for millwork and steel.
- The trade partners for the first eight weeks are under contract, and every other trade has a planned award date.
The site
- Existing conditions, including neighboring properties and shared areas, are photographed and video recorded with dates before work starts.
- Hours for loud work, quiet work and deliveries are confirmed in writing, with loading, parking and elevator use.
- A site logistics plan covering deliveries, hoisting and laydown is issued to every trade and named in each subcontract.
- Every existing utility and meter is confirmed active, and every new service has its application filed and dated back from when it is needed.
- The site safety plan and the emergency plan are posted, with the muster point identified.
- Neighbors and other tenants know the schedule and who to call, and the calendars of noise-sensitive neighbors are in hand before demolition.
Financials and reporting
- The schedule of values for invoicing is established, and the payment calendar has been reviewed and confirmed between ownership and the lender.
- The weekly owner report has a confirmed format and a scheduled weekly distribution time.
- Additional insured endorsements are confirmed, and approved insurance certificates are on file.
- The weekly meeting schedule is set for the owner, the design team and the trades.
For a hotel
- The floor sequence and room turnover dates are agreed with the operator.
- The model room is built, reviewed and signed off before the room materials are released in quantity.
- Owner-furnished furniture, fixtures and operating supplies have a warehouse, a delivery sequence and an installer.
- Elevator use, corridor protection and working hours on occupied floors are agreed in writing.
- The brand’s inspection of the finished rooms is on the schedule.
The PDF of this checklist is on its way. Email hello@macdougallbuilders.com and we will send it when it is ready.
How a job runs
- Chapter 1PreconstructionWe treat every bid and preconstruction engagement as if we are already responsible for building the job.
- Chapter 2During the buildDecisions get made while there is still time to act on them.
- Chapter 3Closeout and afterCommissioning, training and inspections planned months ahead, so the delivery date holds.
Questions
Hotels, asked plainly
How do we know where the work stands?
From the tracker on this page. Every room and every trade step is counted, so each floor shows a percent complete with the count behind it and the rooms still pending.
Can the hotel stay open?
Yes. Most hotel renovation is done floor by floor in an operating building, and the plan for noise, access and shutdowns is made with the operator before work starts.
What is a model room for?
It lets the owner, the designer and the brand settle every detail once, in a real room, before that detail is repeated through the building.
Start with a conversation
Let’s talk about your project
Tell us what you are planning, where the design stands and the date you are working toward. We will call to talk it through.