The latest iteration of Irvine Company’s estimated multimillion-dollar update of its Island Hotel is a VIP lounge intended to keep pace with the upscale shift at Newport Center in recent years.
Island Hotel’s Club Lounge, scheduled to open this month, takes the place of a presidential suite on the property’s 20th floor.
“Our customer base here in Newport Beach has seen some great changes in the center, and we wanted to make sure we could keep up with the changing demand of our customer,” said Island Hotel General Manager Donald Stamets.
That’s why the 2,000-square-foot lounge is heavy on technology.
The room is equipped with three 50-inch TVs and one 80-inch TV, plus 40 device plug-in outlets.
“Customers today, they’re savvier than they were, say, 10 years ago,” Stamets said. “This Club Lounge allows customers to relax and stay connected, whether they’re here on business or here for a family vacation.
“Our customer base in Newport Beach, the demographic is changed. Obviously, with all the larger corporations that have moved into the area, being the financial hub of Southern California, we’ve got a lot of people traveling in from New York and San Francisco, and they need to stay connected with their offices,” said Stamets, who was elected chairman of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce board in September.
The space seats up to 36 people, with up to 50 passes sold daily, and includes a complementary breakfast, midday snack and a happy hour. There’s also a free car service Monday through Friday to anywhere in Newport Center; shirt pressing; and shoe shines.
The hotel is charging an extra, introductory rate of $65, per room per night, for access to the club lounge.
The former presidential suite won’t be replaced, but Stamets said the 295-room hotel already has 83 suites, including two equivalent in size to the converted space.
The lounge is the latest change to the Island Hotel, whose ballroom was expanded by about 6,000 square feet to 8,700 square feet. The project, completed last November, also included an expanded ballroom foyer and cabana spaces at the hotel. The ballroom can now accommodate 600 people, making it the largest events space in Newport Beach.
Just “Island”
The hotel followed the project with new exterior signage at the property during the summer, reflecting a streamlined name that dropped the “the.”
Island Hotel plans additional ground floor improvements next year, although Stamets declined to comment on specifics.
Irvine Co. does not disclose hotel occupancy but said Island Hotel’s exceeds the countywide average, which stood at 85.4% in August, according to industry researcher PKF Consulting USA.
Irvine Co. is building a 380,000-square-foot tower at 650 Newport Center Drive for Pacific Investment Management Co. that’s one of the largest office developments there in years.
Other companies have also moved to the area, most recently Newport Beach-based KBS Realty Advisors, which will occupy space Pimco is temporarily taking up at Pacific Financial Plaza. Newport Beach-based Pacific Life Insurance Co. also recently struck a lease at the complex.
There’s also Irvine Co.’s Fashion Island, which underwent a $100 million makeover over the past few years that brought new architectural elements and a raft of new or exclusive retailers and restaurants to OC’s second-largest shopping center based on taxable sales.
“We just don’t want to sit still, as [Irvine Company] has brought a lot of change to the area,” Stamets said. “We’re simply answering the need of our evolving customer and providing them with what they’re asking for.”