Elke Loof-Koehler, CEO of the Vancouver-based development company, has wrapped up one year of talks with Starwood Capital Group Global LLC of Greenwich, CT to get the crown jewel for Wyndansea. Loof-Koehler's two-year mission has been to design an eco-resort meeting LEED Gold certification and as carbon-neutral as possible. The acreage, with 5.6 km of coastline, was acquired from the timberland portfolio of Federal Way, WA-based Weyerhauser Co.

"It's definitely a one of a kind in the world," emphasizes Sarah Evans, vice president of marketing for S&P Destination Properties LLC of Vancouver, which has been at the developer's side since designing began. "To have this much land on the long beach peninsula and two-thirds of the peninsula as the Pacific Rim National Park is unheard of."

Evans tells GlobeSt.com that the 1 Hotel will take three years to complete, with additional components coming on line at the same time. Ronald Lea of Folio Architecture of Vancouver has crafted a 180 hotel-condo design in West Coast contemporary style. Suites average 720 sf; prices start at $500,000. Evans says the hotel-condos will be sold on a whole-ownership basis in a mix of studios, one and two-bedroom units and "a handful of penthouses."

"We looked at a lot of different hotel companies. This is the one that truly aligns best with the master plan," Evans tells GlobeSt.com, citing its competition will be with five-star brands, more so than the eco-resorts of popular Costa Rica.

The hotel will be within walking distance of 95 beach and golf villas, which will break ground in early 2010, according to Evans. The designs are still being fine-tuned, but villas are expected to be about 1,000 sf. The pricing has yet to be set.

The hotel is a LEED Gold design from the ground up: road construction, concrete-and-glass skin, seawater geothermal exchange, tidal power, photo-voltaic energy, countertops from rock quarried from the developer's acreage, certified-produced wood and suite touches like locally produced furniture. It will be built into the hillside so that it appears to be three stories at its highest point, but is seven in reality. Evans says the goal is "to make it as carbon-neutral as possible."

Starwood Capital Group will manage the finished product. The hotel will include a restaurant, wine bistro, eco-conscious spa, fresh-water pools and fitness center.

"The addition of the 1 Hotels and Residences brand will confirm Wyndansea's position as an international eco-luxury resort," Loof-Koehler says in yesterday's press release about the Starwood signing. "We are very happy to have found a hotel brand that shares our respect for the planet and its people."

The 1 Hotel brand is the brainchild of Barry Sternlicht, chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital and former CEO of White Plains, NY-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. A 1 Hotel is for Seattle, where Starwood is replacing a developer to get the project moving. Other eco-hotels are planned for New York City, Washington, DC and Scottsdale, AZ.

Wyndansea's inlet frontage will be built out with a deep-water marina with slips for 60 to 70-foot yachts, and commercial space, including a second hotel. Evans says the amount of retail and restaurant space and the hotel size are still being firmed up, as is the number of multifamily units that will be on the inlet side. In addition, there are 30 single-family estate sites, of which six have been reserved to date in Signature Circle, Evans says. Wyndansea will be outfitted with seaplane service, a 40-minute direct flight from Vancouver. Evans, whose team is leading the sales campaign, estimates build-out will take seven years.

When all is said and done, Evans says 70% of the 370 acres will remain as green space, with the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course as part of the calculation. Scottsdale, AZ-based Troon Golf LLC will manage the course and clubhouse, also designated as the home for the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club of Canada and a certified signature sanctuary for Audubon International. The golf course construction got underway when site prepping began for roads and utility lines. To date, nine holes have been set on the Pacific Ocean side of the developer's land, which is bisected by a road cutting through the peninsula.

"Elke and the team at Wyndansea have been diligent in all aspects of the project, especially the golf course, to protect and enhance Ucluelet's natural environment," Jack Nicklaus says. "The introduction of 1 Hotels is further evidence of her commitment to an environmentally responsible approach."

Instant Insights /

$200M 1 Hotel To Anchor $650M Wyndansea Resort

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