Lowe, Atlas Hotels Complete Massive Reno of Town and Country Resort

Lowe and Atlas Hotels have opened the doors of the 40-acre, 675-room Town & Country San Diego resort. The multi-million dollar project transformed the property into a mid-century modern mixed-use property. The project has been several years in the making and was designed to appeal to a large swath of travelers, including leisure, business and convention visitors.

“Town and Country is a prominent urban resort in San Diego with a rich history dating to the early 1950s when the father of co-owner Terry Brown built the property,” Matt Walker, EVP at Lowe, tells GlobeSt.com. “Town and Country served as the original convention center for San Diego and still has the most meeting space of any hotel outside of the Downtown San Diego convention facilities. When Lowe and Terry Brown formed a joint venture to own the property in 2014, the asset was an amalgamation of multiple hotels and dozens of buildings within a 40-acre site, each with its own style.”

Lowe set out to unify the existing buildings on the property, and chose a mid-century modern design style. The renovation also included significant upgrades to the property. [We] upgraded the facility to secure its future as an attractive and modern resort property with a strong appeal to families as well as groups,” says Walker. “A top-to-bottom refresh of Town and Country was undertaken on the array of dining outlets, comfortable guest rooms with the latest technology, public spaces and recreation options that is sought by today’s travelers.”

In curating the concept, Lowe focused first on the property’s central location, which is near Downtown San Diego and local tourist attractions. “[This] re-establishes the property as an urban resort, which is attractive to leisure guests in addition to the meeting business for which the hotel has long been known,” says Walker. “We also wanted to right size the hotel and create a vibrant mixed-use environment. Finally, we hoped to infuse Town and Country with a soul that speaks to the authentic culture of coastal San Diego.”

Lowe worked closely with the city to accomplish this synergy. “Lowe completed an extensive entitlement process through the city, which downsized the hotel from 954 rooms to 674,” explains Walker. “Ten acres were sold to Holland Partner Group who are in the process of building out 840 upscale apartments. Lowe built a new lobby building with an indoor/outdoor bar and terrace and a new signature restaurant Arlo and MRKT. Extensive renovations were completed on the pool bar, transforming it into the Lapper. The meeting space was re-conceived and each of the guest rooms were reimagined with a casual Southern California vibe.”

Finally, Lowe added new amenities to the property, including two swimming pools with poolside cabanas, a children’s pool, a waterslide, a penthouse fitness center with valley views. “A new resort pool, spa and kids pool were added as well as a new water slide,” says Walker. “Lowe engaged several local artists including Andy Davis to commission original works on many of the building facades including a vibrant 10-story mural.”