In addition to the Fashion Island hotel, another former Irvine Co. hospitality property returning to the Orange County market after being shuttered by the pandemic is the Hyatt Regency Irvine, formerly known as Hotel Irvine.
The hotel is in the midst of a $50 million renovation and will have the first batch of its 516 guest rooms open for booking starting Aug. 15. All hotel upgrades will wrap up by next spring.
Hyatt Hotels Corp. (NYSE: H) is bringing the hotel back online after acquiring it for $135 million, or $250,000 per key, in 2022.
The 14-story property is Irvine’s largest hotel by room count and was closed indefinitely by Irvine Co. in 2020. The real estate developer now manages just one local hotel property: the Resort at Pelican Hill.
“We’re looking to bring business back to the building,” Sid Ramani, the hotel’s new general manager, told the Business Journal.
Investing in Leisure
“Every aspect of the hotel has been touched,” Ramani said.
Ramani is a longtime Hyatt executive with a 26-year run at the company and the third generation of his family to work in the hospitality industry.
He was previously the area manager for Hyatt properties in Long Beach before being assigned to Irvine, overseeing the Hyatt House Irvine in addition to the Hyatt Regency.
Between 2017 and 2020, he was the general manager of the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach.
Ramani pointed to the growing healthcare and technology investments in Irvine as a strong catalyst for new visitors to the city, with Hyatt looking to accommodate these business travelers while marketing to leisure and family travelers.
“We’ve made significant investments in leisure in addition to business travel,” Ramani said.
As an Irvine resident himself, Ramani said the surrounding residential community is a notable reason to enhance its leisure strategy, with potential demand for staycations.
Other hotel investments to grow local demand include digital and physical upgrades to meeting spaces.
“With better infrastructure, we can attract the types of events that were not historically held in the hotel,” Ramani said, such as weddings and other celebrations.
The hotel will aim to boost its weekend stays as well, with $4 million dedicated to overhauling the pool with added water slides and cabanas.
“We’re being thoughtful of the touch points,” Ramani said, noting Hyatt aims to fill the need for a leisure hotel in Irvine.
Consolidation, Expansion
Most of the hotel’s accommodations and amenities will reopen by the end of 2023.
Renovations included reducing the sizes of multiple guest rooms to add a variety of suites for a range of travelers—the hotel previously counted 541 keys.
A corner suite, for example, was designed for executives on business travel, while other suites will have kitchenettes for extended stays. Five family suites were added as well.
Roughly one-third of the rooms will be available starting in August.
The hotel’s updated 50,000 square feet of meeting space is expected to reopen in September as the remaining 341 guestrooms and an exclusive club space will be available by December.
The Regency club has been moved to the lobby level with indoor and outdoor space. It was previously on the 12th floor of the hotel.
“It’s more convenient for members to easily access it on the way out or on the way in,” Ramani said.
Prior to its closure, the hotel counted 27,000 square feet of meeting space and two restaurant tenants, including Eats Kitchen & Bar and Red Bar & Lounge.
A new restaurant will debut next year, an American bistro with a diverse menu, Ramani said. The concept is in its final stages with the third-party operator soon to be announced. An artisanal marketplace will also open near the lobby in November, selling a variety of grab-and-go food and drink items.
Hyatt partnered with architectural design firms Gensler and DLR for the hotel’s redesign.
Back Inside
It’s a return to the Hyatt name for Hotel Irvine, which was previously known as the Hyatt Regency Irvine from 1986 to 2013.
It’s the only Hyatt-owned property in OC, though it manages other hotels in the area.
Hyatt previously said the new Irvine hotel would not be a long-term hold for the company, and it would place the hotel back on the market upon completion of its revamp, and once the property stabilizes.
Ramani believes the addition of the leisure component to the traditionally business hotel will add to the property’s value.
“We were excited to get the building back,” Ramani said. “Now, we want to get people inside.”
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