When the Ventana Inn reopens this fall, the Big Sur hotel
will be Alila Hotels & Resorts' first U.S. property.
The hotel closed in February after heavy rain caused a
mudslide that dislodged one of the support columns of the Pfeiffer Canyon
Bridge on Highway 1. The bridge was condemned and torn down in March.
Caltrans, California's transportation department,
anticipates the replacement bridge will be completed in September. The hotel,
expected to reopen after the bridge opens, will be renamed Ventana
Big Sur, an Alila Resort.
When the hotel closed, it was part of Joie de Vivre Hotels. Two
Roads Hospitality owns both the Alila and Joie de Vivre brands.
Singapore-based Alila has 12 hotels and resorts in Asia,
including seven in Indonesia. Two Roads acquired the luxury boutique brand in
2015.
"As a brand that is long synonymous with opening resorts in
spectacular, bucket-list destinations, it couldn't be more fitting that Alila's
U.S. debut will be along the iconic Big Sur coastline," said Two Roads Hospitality CEO Jamie Sabatier.
Before reopening, the Ventana Big Sur will undergo a
multimillion-dollar renovation that calls for a rejuvenation of its 59 guestrooms, the
addition of an infinity-edge hot tub, an outdoor event space called Ocean
Meadow Lawn, and a redone and renamed restaurant -- the Sur House.
The Social House will be a space for guests to connect and socialize.
The hotel will feature Japanese-style hot baths and
debut 15 luxury camping tents, called Redwood
Canyon Glampsites.
Guests will have access to daily guided walks, yoga,
tai chi and Pilates.
Room rates will start at $675 per night. Redwood Canyon
Glampsites will start at $325 per night. For an additional resort fee of $100,
glampers gain access to Spa Alila, the Social House, the resort's two pools and
the fitness center.
Notable for its stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, Ventana
Inn was built in 1975 on 243 acres by Larry Spector, an entertainment producer
who helped secure financing for the 1969 counterculture cinema classic "Easy
Rider."
Big Sur, an approximately 90-mile coastal stretch whose
midpoint is about 150 miles south of San Francisco, is known for its scenery as
well as a treacherous portion of Highway 1 that straddles the cliffs high above
the ocean.
When the first section of Highway 1 opened in Big Sur in the
1930s, it paved the way for tourism in the region. Since then, parts of Highway
1 have closed dozens of times because of mud and rock slides.
This year's storms were particularly damaging. In May, a
massive landslide at Mud Creek buried a third-mile stretch of Highway 1 south of the Ventana
Big Sur. With the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge destroyed to the north, the hotel and
other businesses were cut off in both directions.
Caltrans said it could take a year to repair and reopen
Highway 1 at Mud Creek.
Corrections: Alila
currently has 12
properties, with seven in Indonesia; Two
Roads acquired the brand in 2015. In addition, the Redwood Canyon
Glampsites are brand new to the property. Incorrect information appeared in a previous version of this story.