CARLSBAD’S WESTIN RESORT ENDS ONE-YEAR SHUTDOWN
Hotel near Legoland park among a handful of lodges shuttered during pandemic
On March 20 of last year, the Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa temporarily shut down for what county officials hoped would be a short-term closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, it finally reopened.
Like many hotels that rely heavily on tourism dollars, the 208-room hotel took the cautious route to reopening its doors. Officials with the San Diego Tourism Authority didn’t have numbers on how many other San Diego-area hotels stayed closed as long as the Westin — about 54 weeks — but a spokeswoman said the DoubleTree by Hilton in Downtown San Diego
also recently emerged from a lengthy slumber.
Situated on an ocean-facing hill overlooking the Legoland California
theme park, the Westin shares a 50acre property at 5480 Grand Pacific Drive with its sister hotel, the Shera
ton Carlsbad. Julie Zahner, director of corporate area sales for Westin Carlsbad, said the Sheraton reopened last June, but the Westin remained paused until “travel demand increased.”
The timing was finally right last week. On Thursday, Legoland reopened. The nearby Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch is also now open, and its 55 acres of ranunculus flowers are in full
bloom.
Chris Draper, managing director for Westin Carlsbad, said the reopening has been a long time in coming.
“For months, we’ve been thoughtfully preparing for this moment with the health and well-being of our guests and staff top of mind,” Draper said, in a statement.
One element of the hotel that is not yet back online is its restaurant, 20/Twenty. It is slated to reopen in late April.