Business View Magazine | May 2019

21 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE MAY 2019 TOWN & COUNTRY SAN DI EGO vibe - relaxed, playful, and laid-back, with service that is engaging, approachable, yet unobtrusive, where everyone feels welcome. But time has taken its toll on the property and now it is in the midst of an $80 million facelift, slated to conclude in the middle of 2020, that will transform the 40-acre property into a go-to destination for vacationing families, as well as business travelers and conventioneers. “Historically, we were almost a thousand-room hotel,” says Penman. “With the renovation, we’ll be taking that down to a peak of 675 rooms. The meeting space will stay; we’ll be adding a three-acre park along the Riverwalk and quite a few other nice amenities. So, over the course of the next year, the property will be transformed. Our goal is to bring it to a four-star level. It’s been a mid-three for a long period of time, so it needed a renovation.” By the time the ambitious makeover is completed, about a third of the hotel’s structures will have been bulldozed and in their place will be a grand new entryway and lobby, three new restaurants, a spa and, in the center of it all, a two-acre water attraction, complete with a sandy beach, slides, waterfalls, and a lazy river-style pool. The redevelopment also will restore 8.1 acres of native habitat, and the new park will include a 2,500-foot-long, 14-foot-wide pathway along the river, linking with an existing trail. While the convention center and the hotel’s Regency and Royal Palm towers will remain, with 207 and 324 rooms, respectively, they will be modernized, as will 151 of the garden rooms, which will be redesigned in a beachfront milieu, situated on the edge of the future pool area and its planned sandy frontage. Also envisioned, are plans for private development of four residential towers with more than 600 apartments on the eastern and southern fringes of the property that would coexist with Town & Country’s hospitality and convention facilities. With its new look and amenities, Penman says that the Town & Country will remain very competitive. “If you’re a group that’s price sensitive, and you’re looking at using a convention center, the cost can get very high,” she explains. “So we’re still looking for that client that doesn’t have millions to spend. We’re not going to compete with downtown hotels, directly, however the corporate, association, and social markets, when they come to this area, we can offer them something competitive, plus the ability to be only ten minutes from everything in the area. We’re very close to Old Town; we’re ten minutes from Mission Beach; ten minutes from downtown; and ten minutes from the city airport. So, we’re a really nice alternative to going downtown and spending in excess of $300 for a room.” In addition, on the technology front, the Town & Country is, “well set,” according to Penman. “We have a company called AVMS – our in-house audio/