Revamping Downtown

<H1> Revamping Downtown</H1>When Los Angeles sunk to its lowest point after the riots, hotels joined to form the Downtown Marketing Council in an attempt to resurrect the city's image.

"Downtown needs an accurate reputation," said Gretchen Maslanka, project coordinator for the DMC. "It is spotlessly clean and is now statistically the safest part of Los Angeles."

The DMC's mission is to put together events that will bring people downtown to witness the changes for themselves and to "raise the confidence level," Maslanka said. What travelers will find, she said, "are fantastic restaurants, cultural facilities and beautiful buildings."

"Los Angeles is a different world from what it was 20 years ago in terms of what we have to offer the business traveler in the way of shopping, restaurants and attractions," said Randy Villareal, general manger of the Regal Biltmore and president of the DMC.

Looking ahead, the organization has established a Downtown Strategic Plan, whose goals include adding 6,000 hotel rooms.