Hilton Universal proposes second tower

Hillcrest Real Estate, owner of the 495-room Hilton Los Angeles Universal City, is seeking approval from the city to build a second tower with 365 guestrooms.

Hillcrest said the expansion will help the hotel meet surging demand at the adjacent Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.

However, Universal Studios owner NBCUniversal is against the plan. NBCUniversal said that the proposed tower "substantially exceeds" what's allowable under current zoning laws, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Hillcrest's new tower would be 15 stories and would have a rooftop restaurant and a spa.

"We are surprised to hear that Hilton would submit an application without reviewing plans with us and receiving consent from NBCUniversal as they are obligated to do. Our key priority is to make sure that any development is compatible from a scale, density, traffic and other impacts standpoint," NBCUniversal said in a statement in the Los Angeles Times.

In a statement sent to Travel Weekly, Hillcrest said it has "attempted to work in good faith with NBCUniversal" to address its concerns over the past two-plus years. The hotel owner said NBCUniversal is "unreasonably refusing consent."

Universal Studios Hollywood is in the middle of a $1.6 billion, 25-year expansion. The park added the Simpsons Springfield Land in 2015 and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in April 2016. Last year's attendance jumped 14% to 8.09 million, making Universal Studios Hollywood the world's 15th most popular theme park by attendance, according to Aecom.