WHY IT RATES: For travelers looking for another resort option, Hyatt’s brand expansion in California is great news.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced plans for the first new-build Alila resort in the Americas, located in Encinitas, Calif., a quintessential beach town in San Diego’s North County Coastal region. Developed by JMI Realty and Fenway Capital Advisors, Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas will add to Hyatt’s growing Alila brand portfolio, joining Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort, as the brand’s second hotel in California and the U.S., along with 14 other luxury properties worldwide. The Alila brand features luxury hotels and resorts in unique locations, distinguished by innovative eco-design, a strong commitment to sustainable tourism as well as rare and intimate destination experiences.
MORE Hotel & Resort
“We are thrilled to announce the development of the first new-build Alila resort in the Americas, marking a significant milestone for Hyatt. California’s legendary coastline has long captured the hearts of our guests, World of Hyatt members and customers, and we’re excited to continue to expand in California with this landmark oceanfront project,” said Susan Santiago, Global Head of Lifestyle and Miraval Operations at Hyatt. “The Alila brand has long been a leader in crafted luxury and responsible tourism, and Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas will embody that same ethos when it debuts in Southern California.”
Situated along coastal bluffs and overlooking Grandview and South Ponto Beaches, Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas will be a luxury oceanfront hotel with 130 guestrooms, including 16 suites. Expected to open in early 2021, the resort will offer an ocean-view restaurant with rooftop patio, a pool with pool bar and an infinity-edge hot tub, a luxury Spa Alila and spectacular wedding and events venues, all with panoramic Pacific Ocean and lagoon views.
Also announced today is the appointment of Bob Harter as the new resort’s director of sales and marketing. Harter oversees the resort’s sales and marketing efforts while developing business strategies designed to successfully open the resort, drive revenue and exceed the resort’s business goals. Harter brings more than 25 years of experience in hospitality management and is a veteran sales and marketing leader in the San Diego’s luxury hotel market, most recently, serving as director of sales and marketing at L’Auberge Del Mar.
Designed by San Diego-based Joseph Wong Design Associates with interior design by Mark Zeff Associates, Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas will seamlessly blend into the bluffs with natural building materials and native plants, delivering on the brand’s reputation of innovative eco-design. With the hotel’s namesake, “Marea,” meaning “tide” in Italian and Spanish, the resort will provide a distinctly Southern California feel, with bespoke experiences inspired by the area’s natural landscape, as well as its vibrant surf and beach culture.
Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas will offer a signature Spa Alila, as well as the Alila Experience, a series of uniquely curated moments that integrate indigenous nature, traditional culture and the local community for an authentic destination experience. Other health and wellness-centered activities for guests will include surf and paddleboard lessons, cycling, hiking and beachside yoga. Additionally, the new resort will feature a roadside grab-and-go cafe along Coast Highway 101 to serve guests as well as the North County Coastal biking, jogging and beach-going communities. To welcome locals and visitors alike, Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas will also offer a bike valet, electric vehicle charging stations and a new, publicly accessible staircase and walking path, which will provide direct access to the beach below the resort.
“We are honored to work with the Alila brand and Hyatt Lifestyle team to bring this oceanfront luxury resort to Encinitas in early 2021,” said John Kratzer, Chief Executive Officer, JMI Realty. “Our goal is to provide a destination that locals and travelers will treasure, and we’re confident the Encinitas community will be proud to share their unique energy and beautiful shoreline with the new resort.”
SOURCE: Hyatt Hotels Corporation press release.
