Pacifica Hotels has completed a $3 million renovation of the former Blue Sea Hotel in Pacific Beach and rebranded the hotel as the Wayfarer.
The move was part of a drive by Pacifica Hotels to create a new brand within its portfolio of 40 hotels on the West Coast.
“We developed the Wayfarer brand within the past five to seven years,” said Adam Marquis, president of Pacifica Hotels.
Pacifica Hotels, based in Aliso Viejo, has owned the Pacific Beach hotel for more than 30 years, Marquis said.
Other Wayfarer hotels include Pacifica’s Wayfarer flagship in downtown Los Angeles and in San Luis Obispo.
In addition to the Wayfarer, Pacifica Hotels in San Diego County manages La Jolla Cove Suites.
The Pacific Beach hotel was last renovated in 2014, when the 126 guest rooms were remodeled, Marquis said.
Hospitality One, based in Canyon Lake, was the general contractor on the latest renovation and Generator Studio of Kansas City was the designer.
Much of the latest renovation centered on the lobby, adding the 500-square-foot Zephyr Café with a prep kitchen.
“Before, we had no food or beverage offering at the hotel,” Marquis said.
The café will serve craft canned cocktails, coffee from Bird Rock Coffee Roasters of La Jolla, and “grab and go” sandwiches and other quick-serve offerings.
For those wanting full-service dining, Marquis said that the hotel has partnered with an adjacent restaurant, the Flamingo Deck, as part of a drive to promote local businesses.
“It’s kind of us partnering with our local neighbors to have people feel like, ‘Wow, I really feel like I’m a native,’” Marquis said. “We have neighbors that offer a lot of great amenities.”
State of Mind
The look of the revised lobby is what Marquis said was “the past meets the future” with retro colors and “ghetto blaster speakers,” dating back to the 1970s.
“We’re incorporating bright summer colors that represent the San Diego beach culture,” Marquis said.
In keeping with its beachy theme, guests can rent or buy surfboards at the hotel and sign up for surfing lessons with Pacific Surf School through the hotel.
As part of the renovation, acoustic guitars have been mounted on the lobby wall that Marquis said are available for guests to take down and play.
Guest room corridors were “completely gutted,” adding new carpeting, vinyl wall covering, light fixtures, guest room doors and locks, and artwork by local artists, Marquis said.
Artwork depicting scenes of Pacific Beach was also added to the lobby and guest rooms, and murals were added to exterior walls.
“There’s a different theme on each floor and in each suite, there’s a different theme behind the headboard and on a focal wall,” Marquis said. “We definitely wanted to have people excited when they walk through the doors of this hotel, feeling like they’ve arrived in Pacific Beach.”
Eight suites of 750 square feet to 850 square feet were remodeled, turning them into what Marquis described as “shared community living spaces,” with bunk beds, a day bed, a living room, and 75-inch, flat screen televisions.
“If you had a family of five, you could fit all of them in a suite instead of renting two rooms,” Marquis said.
Six of the suites have ocean views and two are bungalows that open out to the pool.
Guest rooms range from 300 square feet to 900 square feet. Nightly room rates range from $250 to $500, depending on the season.
Marquis said business has improved since COVID, with occupancy running at about 80% with an uptick of international travelers.
Pacifica Hotels
Founded: 1970
HEADQUARTERS: Aliso Viejo, CA
CEO: Matt Marquis
Business: hospitality
Employees: 1500
2022 Total Gross Revenue: $272M
Website: https://www.pacificahotels.com/
Contact: Info@pacificahotels.com
Notable: Pacifica Hotels is the largest owner and operator of boutique hotels on the West Coast
