HOTEL DEL KEEPS UP RENOVATIONS
New pool deck that seats 600, remodeled Cabana guestrooms are complete and next phase of project begins
Even as hotels confront the new reality of a pandemic that has stifled tourism, San Diego County’s most iconic property, the Hotel del Coronado, is not slowing its yearslong renovation that is expected to cost $400 million.
The latest phase of the project to make its debut encompasses an expansive rooftop bar and restaurant overlooking the hotel pool and beachfront, an updated pool area, and a complete redo of its 97 cabana guestrooms, some of which directly face the ocean.
The ongoing renovation, billed as the most costly upgrade since the hotel opened in 1888, got under way in early 2019, and a significant portion of it is expected to be completed by April. While all the resort changes envisioned as part of the hotel’s original master plan upgrade were estimated to cost $200 million, even more improvements have either since been initiated or are planned that increased the investment to $400 million. Among those are renovations of the 368room Victorian building (still in the design stage) and the 214-room ocean tower, which is expected to be finished by Memorial Day.
However, one key part of the redevelopment — 142 new residentialstyle villas and a new conference center costing $100 million — has been paused for now due to COVID-19, and there is no updated timeline, according to the hotel. The plan was to sell the one-, two-, and three-bedroom rooms as condos with limited-use restrictions for the owners, not unlike the resort’s existing Beach Village cottages and villas.
Meanwhile, the resort’s latest completed phase, which is dubbed the “cabanas neighborhood,” is already paying off. The glass-enclosed, 240-seat sun deck, which now serves dinner and a much-expanded menu compared to its earlier incarnation, generated $135,000 in revenue over the last weekend alone and is outpacing business of a year ago when there
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