SAN DIEGO, CA— American Property Management Corp. is getting ready to break ground on a $100 million, five-star hotel that will change the San Diego skyline forever. The 250-suite Spinnaker Hotel, which is shaped like a sailboat, is set to break ground this September on a parcel of land behind the San Diego convention center and west of the San Diego promenade, Michael Gallegos, president/CEO of American Property Management, told HOTEL BUSINESS®. The hotel will take approximately 15 months to construct with the opening planned for the first quarter of 2006, he said. “This is the first hotel in San Diego County that is being built west of the promenade,” Gallegos said. “It is behind the convention center and surrounded by water. Every guestroom will have an unobstructed view of the water,” he said. American Property Management, based here, along with San Diego developers Art Engle— who owns San Diego Harbor Excursions— and Ray Carpenter, will own the property, Gallegos said. “Ray has owned the lease hold interest for the land for the past 20 years and Art joined him to try and get it developed 10 years ago. The entitlement and development process was excruciating. They had to go through the Port of San Diego, the Coastal Commission, and get city and county approval,” he said, adding that American Property Management will also manage the Spinnaker Hotel. At presstime, American Property Management was in discussions with Carlson Hotels Worldwide to brand the property as a Regent Hotel, Gallegos said, adding he is optimistic about that possibility. “[Carlson Companies President/COO] Curtis Nelson flew out here and spent the day going over the plans for the hotel. He said Carlson and Regent are very excited and want to be part of the project. They are looking to grow the Regent brand and I am committed to growing the brand as well. I hope to do three to four Regents over the next few years,” he said. The Spinnaker Hotel will mark American Property Management’s first five-star property. As such, the company is loading the property with all the bells and whistles from a design standpoint as well as technology and in-room entertainment, he said. This includes four-fixture baths, all of which will have custom built-in mahogany, much like a yacht, Gallegos said, adding that every room will also be equipped with wireless high-speed Internet access, 42-inch plasma TVs and a central guest control system that accesses the drapes, room temperature, “Do Not Disturb” sign, phone and TV. “This property will be true state-of-the-art,” he said. In addition, the hotel comes with a one-acre public park, where it can hold outdoor guest functions accommodating approximately 2,000 people. “We have access to the public/private park. We have the obligation and responsibility to maintain and care for it, but we can also use it for events and outdoor venues,” Gallegos said. Gallegos strongly believes the hotel is perfectly situated to take advantage of the booming construction taking place in San Diego. For one, the San Diego convention center, which connects through the property via a walkway, will soon undergo an addition of 500,000 square feet more of convention space to its already 1.4 million square foot capacity. “There is still $3 billion in construction going on in the area, which includes expanding the city’s Gas Lamp District, which is just a few blocks away,” Gallegos said, adding the airport is just three to four minutes away as well. “This hotel will change the San Diego skyline,” he said.
