UPDATE 1-Blackstone to open Menlo Park office

(Adds details in paragraph 3 about Blackstone's current operations on the West Coast)

NEW YORK, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Private equity firm Blackstone Group LP (BX.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Wednesday it hired a top technology banker at Citigroup to open an office in the technology- concentrated area of Menlo Park, California.

It hired Ivan Brockman, previously co-head of West Coast Technology Investment Banking at Citigroup Inc (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), to become a senior managing director and to open the office.

The unit will mark Blackstone's first physical push into technology M&A advisory on the West Coast. It currently has some real estate and fund raising staff in San Francisco.

Despite not having a West Coast office, it has advised on some high profile technology M&A such as Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) pursuit of Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Blackstone said on its website that, since the firm was founded in 1985, its M&A advisory unit had advised on deals worth more than $325 billion.

John Studzinski, head of Blackstone's advisory businesses, said in a statement the firm's technology advisory group was now "well anchored" with Brockman on the West Coast and Chris Pasko heading up its East Coast effort. (Reporting by Megan Davies; Editing by Andre Grenon)