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Tourism Legoland leader returns to run theme park



-Unit Extended-Stay Hotel to Be Built Beside 80-Room Hotel Project

Look for Legoland California to become more closely aligned with its namesake toy company, as Carlsbad’s kiddie theme park changes its leadership direction once more.

Gone is Mark Germyn, who ran the park as president and general manager since January 2000. Germyn’s role was taken over by his predecessor, Bill Haviluk, who launched Legoland in March 1999.

Haviluk joined Billund, Denmark-based Lego Co. in April ’97, when the park was still in its planning stages.

In early 2000, he left the park’s operations to run Lego’s family attractions division, which was also located in Carlsbad. In early June, the division was dissolved and the responsibilities were given to a president of the Legoland park in Billund. Haviluk was again assigned to the Legoland California park, leaving Germyn without a job.

Haviluk will also be expected to continue the park’s new goal to work more closely with Lego’s toy division.

According to a spokeswoman, one way Legoland will be doing this is through Lego’s new tribal-inspired “Bionicle” product line. The park has several events and activities planned to coordinate with Bionicle.

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Building Blocks:

Look for a groundbreaking on Homewood Suites by Hilton Torrey Hills/Del Mar sometime this month.

The $15.6 million, 120-unit project is owned by local hotel analyst Bob Rauch’s R.A. Rauch & Associates Inc. It’s the first hotel he’s built from the ground up, Rauch said.

According to Rauch, he and his partners chose an extended-stay hotel because, in part, guests stay longer and the amount of business can be managed to improve yield. Also, the hotel’s pricing strategy was created to allow higher rates for shorter stays.

Rauch also has a second hotel project in the works , an 80-room Hilton Garden Inn that will cost $9.4 million, he said. It will be adjacent to the Homewood Suites property.

Both projects are planned to open next summer, Rauch said.


Chair Change:

As of this month, Cloud 9 Shuttle’s John Hawkins is the 2001-02 chairman of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The bureau also has four new board members: Dorcy Bowman Rose, executive director of event planning group Rendezvous; C. Sam Marasco, president of LandGrant Development; Lorin Stewart, director of the Historic Tours of America’s San Diego operations; and Ray Warren, general manager of the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina.

David Cohn, ConVis’ executive vice chairman for 2001-02, is expected to be the next chairman, starting in July 2002.

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Checking In:

Although San Diego was not among the Tourism Industries’ listing of the top 10 cities visited by overseas visitors in 2000, it was next up. San Diego ranked 11th. Its 2.7 percent market share (701,000 visitors) was a 13.2 percent drop from 3.3 percent (807,000 visitors) in ’99. San Diego Performing Arts League’s business volunteer program has local marketing firm Alternative Strategies doing market research for the Diversionary Theatre. Construction of the new Anthony’s Express in Clairemont has provoked protests from the local carpenters union. The Carpenters Union Local 1506 has a wage-related dispute with a subcontractor hired to do drywall for the express location and has held demonstrations at Anthony’s Express’ various sister restaurants, said Andrew Hauser, marketing director of locally based Anthony’s Seafood Group. According to Hauser, the company doesn’t feel the union’s actions are appropriate, but plans to keep “a stiff upper lip.”

The deadline for the next tourism & hospitality column is July 26. Rodrigues can be reached at (858) 277-6359, Ext. 107, or via e-mail at trodrigues@sdbj.com.

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