HOSPITALITY: Recent Hotel Renos Reflect ‘Strong Market’

BY RAY HUARD | JULY 15, 2024

SAN DIEGO – The Westin San Diego Bayview has completed a $20 million renovation that general manager Peter Engard said is meant to provide “an unparalleled experience” that reflects the hotel’s location in Emerald Plaza that lights up the San Diego skyline with its green outline.

At 400 West Broadway in the Columbia District of downtown San Diego, “This iconic building is San Diego’s most distinctive building to shape the skyline,” Engard said. “It’s a beacon for visitors whenever they come to San Diego and it’s a great symbol of the downtown revitalization for us.”

With the renovation of the hotel’s 436 guest rooms, designed by HVS Design, based in Maryland, Engard said that “everything about our guest rooms is reimagined” in the renovation.

“We’re really eager to showcase our new product, really anticipate a very strong response from our guests now that the renovations are complete,” Engard said.

Michelle West, director of design at HVS Design, said that the hotel’s new look starts “from the moment guests step off the elevator.”

“They are greeted with delicate tones and a meandering carpet pattern that leads to a memorable in-room experience, with our intention to create spaces where guests feel like they could truly take a break from the bustling city,” West said. “We pulled in elements that celebrate the natural beauty of the neighboring San Diego beaches, while weaving in design elements that fit the building’s distinctive architecture to give Westin guests an all-new experience in this iconic building.”

Engard said that room improvements include new vinyl wall covering, new headboards, new bedding, new furniture, new fixtures, new lighting, new televisions, and new flooring.

The vinyl wall covering has what Engard described as a “metallic sheen,” highlighted by special light and the room has natural elements such as cork headboards.

“It really creates this peaceful environment,” Engard said, adding that the palette is a mix of blues and beach tones with white stone desktops “that makes the room lighter.”

Sofas were replaced with small, raised tables known as cocktail rounds with two tall chairs.

“We put that in there in lieu of putting in a couch because it was what our travelers expect now with more usable space, and they sit using their laptops and they look out the window,” Engard said. “That’s something that travelers may not have done in the past. It’s a spot for our guests to be able to sit there, have a cup of coffee, and work on their laptops. We’ve got the natural artwork of the view out our windows.”

The room design is meant to draw attention to the bay views seen from many rooms through large windows.

Shaped like a hexagon, “The beauty of our architecture is that with the way that the building is laid out, we have more window square footage than a typical rectangular building because of the angles of our building,” Engard said.

Strong Market

Opened in 1990 under another name, the hotel came under the Westin brand in 2007, according to Engard.

The Westin San Diego Bayview is among several San Diego County hotels to get a new look, including the San Diego Omni, adjacent to Petco Park which is wrapping up a $30 million renovation that plays off the hotel’s connections to the Padres with a baseball-themed look.

“We’re going to see a lot more renovations,” said Alan Reay, president of Atlas Hospitality Group.

“What you’re now seeing is basically a lot of these improvements that were probably due two or three years ago are now getting done,” Reay said.

Reay said that the renovations of The Westin San Diego, the Omni and others, is “a testament to how well the San Diego market is performing.”

“I’m not seeing it in other markets like I’m seeing it in San Diego,” Reay said. “In markets like San Francisco, downtown Los Angeles, San Jose, a lot of those are struggling and don’t have the finances to put back into the improvements.”

Many hotels are catching up on work that was put off during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic, said Robert Rauch, chairman of Brick Hospitality and owner of R.A. Rauch & Associates.

“Nobody had the money until now,” Rauch said. “Everybody’s renovating now. I don’t know of any hotels, except new ones built in 2018 or more recently, that aren’t.”

In the case of the Westin San Diego Bayfront, “At the end of the day, what they’re doing is repositioning the hotel to be the leader in the market rather than a follower,” Rauch said.

Hotels typically do upgrades in cycles culminating in a major remodel after about 20 years from when they open, Rauch said.

“It starts looking dated and tired at a certain point, and 20 years is dated and tired for a hotel most of the time,” Rauch said. “You have designs that are just not fresh and contemporary.”

The Westin San Diego Bayview
HEADQUARTERS: San Diego, Columbia District downtown
OPENED: 1990
GENERAL MANAGER: Peter Engard
BUSINESS: hotel
EMPLOYEES: 170
WEBSITE: https://westin.marriott.com/
CONTACT: 619-239-4500

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