Over 40 years in the making - and the largest beach development in San Diego County in over 50 years - Oceanside saw the opening of two signature luxury hotels adjacent to the historic Oceanside Pier in 2021.
SERVICES PROVIDED
THE CHALLENGE
Oceanside had a need to redevelop the land on the south side of the iconic fishing pier for a long time – rumor has it, since back in 1896 when the South Pacific Hotel burned to the ground on the site. The site has undergone several uses and been up for redevelopment several times, but ultimately was being used as a surface lot for beach parking.
With a goal of not only appealing to residents but contributing to Oceanside’s reinvention from a military town into a Southern California tourist destination, when redeveloping this parcel into notable luxury hotel and resort properties it was important to keep the laid-back “O-side” spirit while providing a much-needed boost for the local economy.
The Solution
Oceanside originally approved the project and selected a developer over 13 years ago. After a series of roadblocks like lawsuits and economic recessions, the project moved forward in 2017 and Aquatic Design Group was retained to provide design, engineering and consulting services to develop design criteria and bridging documents for two on-structure pools to be used as the basis of design for the design-build projects.
The Results
Construction commenced in 2018 and the resorts opened in May 2021. The tallest of the two hotels is the seven-story Mission Pacific Hotel, with 161 guest rooms and suites, a roof-top pool and hydrotherapy spa with private cabanas and bar, a luxury restaurant, and 3,000 square feet of retail shops. South of Mission Pacific is the six-story Seabird Resort, with 226 rooms, a 9,000-square-foot third-floor deck with a pool and ocean views, a restaurant, bar and lounge, library, luxury spa, and more than 20,000 square feet of meeting and event rooms.
The properties also incorporated the popular and historic Graves House, aka the Top Gun House, by relocating it on the property and fixing it up as a charming dessert bar.
The tourism industry was hit especially hard during the pandemic, but the resorts created hundreds of jobs in Oceanside and are expected to generate roughly a million a year in hotel tax revenue. In addition, both resorts regularly engage with the local community by offering day passes and hosting events such as movie nights at the pool, panel discussions and book signings, paint nights, pop up markets, industry nights, and food and drink tastings.
PROJECT DATA
Owner: S.D. Oceanside Resorts, LLC
Client: Delawie Architecture
Date Completed: Summer 2018