New beachfront hotel breaks ground in South Carlsbad

Carlsbad officials joined hotel developers and guests in the groundbreaking Friday of the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa, the newest addition to the city's impressive roster of quality hotel properties.

 

Mayor Matt Hall noted that the hotel is a major achievement for Carlsbad and an indicator of the city’s strong economy.

 

“Today is really a beginning for a new tomorrow,” said Hall.

 

Wave Crest Resorts, the developer, began to acquire land for the project in 1998 and received City Council approval to build in 2009. It is the first oceanfront hotel project in San Diego County in many years.   

 

“This project is a great example of the city and business community working together, during a tough economic time, to bring a quality project to Carlsbad,” said Gary Barberio, the city’s director of Community & Economic Development, who attended today’s festivities.

 

The $75 million resort will feature 215 guest rooms, a 5,900-square-foot restaurant, a 5,000-square-foot day spa and 15,000 square feet of meeting space just steps from South Carlsbad State Beach. Private cabanas and swimming pools will nestle among outdoor gardens of lush native plants.

The project is anticipated to be complete in 2012.

 

Located at Carlsbad Boulevard and Ponto Drive, the project is a major development in the city’s South Carlsbad Coastal Redevelopment Area.

 

Carlsbad ranks second among cities in San Diego County — behind only San Diego— in revenue from transient occupancy taxes from hotel rooms. The taxes added $11.6 million to Carlsbad’s general fund in fiscal 2009-10, helping pay for basic services like police and fire protection.

 

Bill Canepa, owner of Wave Crest Resorts, said the Carlsbad oceanfront is a perfect location for a full-service resort.

 

“As a hotel developer you couldn’t ask for too much more than to have a location on the coast in Carlsbad,” said Canepa. He said that the new resort is close to such Carlsbad attractions as Legoland California, the Flower Fields and the city’s fine golf courses.

 

He noted that Carlsbad is perfectly placed between such San Diego attractions as the San Diego Zoo and Sea World, and Orange County attractions, like Disneyland.

 

Robert Moore, the general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn, which also is owned by Wave Crest, will manage the new Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa.

 

“This new hotel will be a great addition to the Carlsbad area,” said Moore. "It will provide oceanfront luxury amenities in a family and business-friendly setting, while placing guests in a central location perfect for taking advantage of the countless activities and attractions Carlsbad has to offer.”

 

The project secured $60 million in financing from UBS Realty Investors, marking a strong endorsement of the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa’s future success and of Carlsbad’s economy.

 

Wave Crest Resorts has developed three other projects in Carlsbad:  the Tamarack Beach Resort, a combination hotel and time share, at Walnut Avenue and Carlsbad Boulevard, in 1985; the 161-room Hilton Garden Inn at the foot of Palomar Airport Road on Carlsbad Boulevard, in 2000; and Laguna Point Condominiums at State Street and Laguna Drive, in 2006.

 

The hotel also is the first major project in the city’s Ponto Beachfront Village Vision Plan, the blueprint for development of the Ponto neighborhood in southwestern Carlsbad. The Ponto Beachfront Village Vision Plan was adopted by the City Council in 2007.