San Francisco-based boutique hotelier Joie de Vivre Hospitality has taken over management of the 130-room Vacation Village hotel in Laguna Beach.
The move is part of the company’s plan to double its hotels in the next five years.
Joie de Vivre now has 35 hotels and expects most of its growth to be in Southern California.
It already has hotels in the Brentwood-Westwood area, Studio City and Long Beach and will manage the Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach slated to open early next year.
The oceanfront motel-style Vacation Village was built in the 1960s and last changed hands in 2006, when it was bought by Westport, Conn.-based Westport Capital Partners for $330,769 per room.
Since that sale, the hotel has been managed by Park City, Utah-based Gemstone Hotels and Resorts LLC.
Vacation Village completed a $2 million room renovation in 2007. The 4-acre property sits five blocks from downtown Laguna Beach and includes two pools, a whirlpool and a 4,000-square-foot private residence, Pacific Edge, available for groups of up to 65 for events.
General manager Kevin Johnson, who previously managed resorts in Sedona, Santa Fe and Sausalito, will remain with Vacation Village.
