Paul Clinton
Steve Bone sums up the essence of his sprawling $120-million Hyatt
Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa in two words: comfortable
luxury.
"It feels like a place you've been before," Bone said. "I always
felt the luxury hotel developers went over the line [with the
philosophy] 'I have a lot of marble, so I can charge you a lot of
money.'"
After years of waiting, guests can judge for themselves on Sunday
when the resort opens with little hullabaloo, which developers are
saving for the week of the Jan. 30 grand opening.
Bone, who owns the resort and conference center with the hotelier
Robert Mayer, came up with the vision for the low-rise 15-acre
Andalusian-style seaside resort after the 20-story hotel tower he
first proposed for the site two decades ago met with opposition.
Don't let the casual setting and lack of marble fool you. Guests
looking for high-end leisure and relentless relaxation will pay top
dollar for rooms, which will range from $350 to $3,500 per night.
Along with its spacious corridors, high-ceiling ballrooms,
open-air vistas and beach views, the resort boasts more than 110,000
square feet of meeting and function space, 517 luxurious guestrooms,
a full-service business center, three restaurants, an island-style
market with various sundries, a nook of shops and a
20,000-square-foot cutting-edge health spa.
Strolling through the resort's tastefully stylish campus uncovers
a wealth of original touches that developers and civic leaders say
will set it apart as a destination for business conferences and
mid-level events.
"I think it's going to be the premier property between San Diego
and Santa Barbara," Councilwoman Pam Julien Houchen said. "We're
going to attract conferences, which we haven't been able to do in the
past."
Bone and his team of developers commissioned hand-woven carpets
from several foreign countries, hand-blow Venetian glass for the
chandeliers, Mediterranean-style iron work, a bevy of original
artwork, floor tile imported from Thailand, a lagoon-style pool and a
koi pond.
Of the 517 rooms, most have ocean views and 57 are suites with
ocean views. The resort also boasts three 3,100-square-foot
presidential suites with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a wet bar, a
Jacuzzi bath and many other luxuries.
Conference guests will not miss the luxuries of the resort while
in meetings, which will be held in one several meetings areas that
include a 20,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom with ocean views, two
