Construction of a Renaissance ClubSport hotel at Summit Office Campus in Aliso Viejo is slated to begin early next year.
The hotel is expected to open by the end of 2007. It’s part of the next phase of Parker Properties LLC’s Summit Office Campus, which includes a pair of office buildings totaling 260,000 square feet.
The hotel originally was set to open next year. Work was held up until Parker’s development plans were finalized, according to Scott Pickert, senior vice president of Renaissance ClubSport.
Renaissance’s ClubSport,part spa, fitness center and sports complex,was developed by Pleasanton-based Leisure Sports Inc., a private developer and operator of sports clubs and hotels in California, Nevada and Oregon. In September, the company sold the ClubSport unit to Marriott International Inc.
Marriott plans to model the Aliso Viejo ClubSport on the unit’s first complex, which opened in Walnut Creek in 2002. Pickert said the Walnut Creek location is “outpacing area hotels” in revenue per available room,a key measure in the hospitality industry.
All ClubSport hotels are slated to have 150 to 250 guest rooms and a members-only fitness center.
In Aliso Viejo, the hotel will include 175 rooms, a restaurant, lounge, pool and conference space in addition to a 75,000-square-foot fitness club.
The ClubSport hotel will feature a central area that’s a combination restaurant, lobby and gathering place. There will be space for casual and formal dining.
The hotel also will include an outdoor patio, fire pit and conference space. The idea is to encourage guests to mingle and network, Pickert said.
“People are more interested in multi-purpose public areas today,” he said.
The Aliso Viejo location was chosen in part because of the area’s mix of residents, local employees and business travelers that are expected to provide a base for fitness club memberships.
“We expect to sell about 4,200 memberships,” Pickert said.
Members can use the hotel’s spa and meeting space, in addition to the restaurants, he said.
The Summit’s office buildings could bring ClubSport members to the area, in the same way that Sports Club Irvine is a draw for people working in and visiting the John Wayne Airport area of Irvine.
South County’s wealthy residents and growing business sector make it a good spot for ClubSport, said Alan Reay, president of Costa Mesa-based hotel tracker Atlas Hospitality Group.
Marriott’s acquisition of the ClubSport brand helps, too, Reay said. The hotel chain has a solid share of the business traveler market, along with a strong leisure traveler makeup.
The hotel also may heat up competition for the business traveler in South County.
Excluding coastal cities, the closest business-style hotels to Aliso Viejo include an Ayres Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott, Holiday Inn in Laguna Hills and the Doubletree Irvine.
Pickert said the hotel would target the regional drive-in market for weekend business, possibly with special prices.
“The typical business hotel suffers on the weekend,” Reay said.
He said ClubSport’s location close to beach cities and within an easy drive of Disneyland is likely to make it attractive for weekend travelers,depending on prices.
Hotel occupancy in South County was 74% through August, compared to 77% countywide. The average daily room rate in South County was $231.17 in the period, skewed higher in part by coastal resorts.
South County hotels with 100 to 199 rooms posted a daily rate of $88.14 through August, with an occupancy rate of 79%.
Marriott expects to open 15 ClubSport hotels in the U.S. during the next five to seven years. The company has hotels under development in Chandler, Ariz., and Rockville, Md., in addition to the Aliso Viejo project.
Pickert said Marriott is looking at other possible Southland locations for the ClubSport brand, including Los Angeles and San Diego.
“We have an aggressive growth strategy,” he said.
