The Fairmont Newport Beach is in the heart of the Newport Beach business district at 4500 MacArthur Blvd. The renovations to the 23,000-sf main floor and lobby include an expanded registration area and front desk, a guest lounge and upgrades to the cocktail lounge, waiting room, restaurant and atrium.
Sunstone commissioned the renovations to upgrade the hotel "to be in sync with the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts' upscale brand," comments Robert Olson, CEO and president of R.D. Olson Construction. Lee & Sakahara Architects of Irvine oversaw the space planning, which includes renovation of all public areas, with Colorado-based Design Force is the interior designer.
The Sunstone REIT bought the hotel in the summer of 2005 and announced that it would initiate the $22-million makeover of the former Sutton Place Hotel and would rename it Fairmont Newport Beach. Sunstone said at the time that all guest rooms, including the hotel's 29 suites, would be restyled with upgraded finishes to meet the standards of the Fairmont name.
Sunstone's investment comes at a time when California hotels in general and Orange County properties in particular are a hot commodity, according to recent market reports. One report, from Irvine-based Atlas Hospitality Group, pointed out that hotel sales dollar volume doubled in the state to more than $4.5 billion in 2005, with the price per room rising 8.8% in Orange County.
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