South Korean luxury hotel development planned for Westfield

By PARKER CARLSON
WISH-TV | wishtv.com

One of the largest hotel developers in South Korea wants to build a luxury hotel and restaurant in Westfield, and the city is planning on making it happen.

Lotte, a South Korean chaebol, or a large conglomerate owned by a single individual or family, runs businesses all across the world. The company is looking to invest $50 million into Westfield with a new hotel called L7 by Lotte.

The proposed development will construct the hotel off U.S. 31 and 161st Street, and will have access to the Monon Trail.

Rendering provided by City of Westfield

The five-story hotel currently plans for 228 rooms and a separate, 10,000 square-foot restaurant in the same development area.

The Westfield city government originally made plans for that site in 2007 to develop it into a retail space similar to Village Park Plaza; however, plans shifted to a luxury hotel development in 2021.

At the Advisory Plan Commission meeting Feb. 3, representatives of the plan said construction could begin as early as this fall. They expect construction to last 12 to 18 months.

While the plans for the hotel have not yet been approved, plan commissioners said having a South Korean developer interested in Westfield “speaks volumes to what we all have going on here.”

In March, Westfield Mayor Scott Willis and other city officials will travel to South Korea to build relationships for potential future partnerships. Kayla Arnold, director of communications for the city, said they are trying to establish a sister-city program to promote “cultural exchange, education, economic growth, and tourism.”

This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/business/south-korean-westfield-hotel-plans.