New Hotel Opening Delayed Until 2013

The hotel to replace the Seacoast Inn is not expected to open until January 2013, Pacifica Companies Project Manager Allison Rolfe said Thursday.

Construction is expected to finish in October or November but since the hotel will be a , it may take more time to come to agreement on different design and operation visions, said Rolfe.

"We've got a new partner at the table and we need to incorporate their ideas," she said. "It's going to be a bit of back and forth until we can find compromises."

The hotel was expected to open as early as August after Pacifica Companies last year. The new hotel will replace the Seacoast Inn, which opened in the 1960s and was .

Delayed construction was discussed at Wednesday's City Council meeting when handyman and clergyman Victor Amado said in public comments that the hotel doesn't appear as if it will be ready to open its doors by the fall. Mayor Jim Janney mentioned a January 2013 opening date later in the meeting.

Among possible changes, Pacifica Companies had planned to hire a chef, possibly Jack Fisher of Imperial Beach but now, they may hire a restaurant management company instead.

"We were going to hire someone like Jack," she said. "Now that Marriott wants it to be a high-end restaurant, were not sure if we're going to be able to do that."

Pacifica also considered having Christine LaPaulsky's move its operations in the hotel, but that plan may be scrapped in favor of a larger fitness area and smaller spa.

"The good news is it's going to be a better product. It's going to be a luxury brand without any question. So we're putting in the extra time and I think it's going to be worth it," she said.

The hotel does not yet have a name, and Marriott may have a say in the matter.

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Rolfe is scheduled to officially update the Imperial Beach City Council at its July 18 meeting. The City Council is the successor agency to the Imperial Beach Redevelopment Agency, . Business owners and the City Council have long touted the new hotel as a way to reinvigorate the city's economy. Currently the only other hotel in Imperial Beach is the .

Visit the hotel to replace the Seacoast Inn Topic page for a complete look back at IB Patch stories about the waterfront project.