New Owner Of Hartford’s Ramada Plaza No Stranger to New England

The family-owned company that bought the Ramada Plaza in downtown Hartford out of a foreclosure hails from South Korea and its U.S. operations are based in Los Angeles.

Even so, family member Junny Lee doesn’t feel like much of a transplant in Hartford.

Junny Lee "optimistic" about future of Downtown Hartford's Ramada Plaza (Photo by Kenneth R. Gosselin/the Hartford Courant)

“I spent four years in New England, which was a very long time for me, because I’ve traveled extensively,” Lee said Friday, after a press conference to formally announce new owners, Magilink Group.

Lee, 30, graduated from Tufts University in Boston 2004 with a degree in economics and international relations. He owns a home in the Boston area and is a big BoSox and Celtics fan.

The list of places Lee has traveled, studied and worked is impressive: Malaysia, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, London, Morocco and Boston.

For the past two years or so, Lee has split his time between Singapore and Los Angeles working for Magilink, the real estate company headed by his father, Ny Lee.

Magilink plans an announcement in the near future of renovations and upgrades for the former Crowne Plaza, but Lee is guarded about the details. He promises it will be more extensive than a few cosmetic changes.

Lee is optimistic about the hotel’s future, and he hopes the Ramada will become a big player in attracting conventions to Hartford.

When asked Friday, Lee first demurs — then agrees — to having his photo taken by a sign outside the 350-room hotel. He notes new signs are in the plans.

“I don’t want people seeing the sign and saying, ‘That’s it?’ ”

Read more about Magilink’s new ownership of the Ramada Plaza here.