More than a decade after a former downtown residential hotel was transformed into the pineapple-themed Hotel Z, the Sixth Avenue property is getting yet another facelift by a new owner, who will update all the guestrooms, add a lobby cafe, modernize the facade and give it a new name.
The hotel was purchased earlier this year by Portland, Ore.-based Stoa Lodging for $25.2 million — about $8 million less than what it sold for more than a decade ago. It hasn’t been renovated since then by the former operator, Pineapple Hospitality Group. The new Hotel Stellen San Diego Gaslamp, as it will be called once its renovation is complete, is supposed to make its debut by March of next year,
Stoa Lodging founder Taylor Jacobs declined to disclose how much the upcoming renovation will cost, saying only that it will be several million dollars. Not only will the room count increase by four — from 96 to 100 — but a portion of the lobby will be transformed into a cafe that will serve coffee and light bites, plus cocktails in the evening, Jacobs said. Currently, the Hotel Z has no food and beverage outlet.
Hotel Z will continue operating throughout the construction work, Jacobs said.
The reimagined Hotel Z, which will be renamed the Stellen, will include a new cafe in the lobby. (Stoa Lodging)
With the renovation will also come a new branding. The Stellen will join the portfolio of Series by Marriott hotels, which are described as independent midscale and upscale properties.
A Southern California native who at one time worked in San Diego, Jacobs said he was drawn to the Hotel Z because of its location in the Gaslamp. He said it had been up for sale for a while.
“I’ve walked by this hotel countless times, and it’s just a great location,” said Jacobs, whose company owns one other hotel, which is located in Washington state. “I love the Gaslamp and when it came available and we had a chance to make a run at it, we thought we could be good stewards for for its next life. Pineapple had done an amazing job, the hotel had a great following and customer service, but it hadn’t really been updated since 2015, so it’s due for a new facelift and a new reconcepting for the next decade.”
Hotel Z had originally been a single resident occupancy hotel known as the Baltic, but a developer, J Street Hospitality, gutted the 28-year-old, four-story building and transformed its previous 221 small apartment units into 96 contemporary guest rooms.
One of the major updates Stoa has planned for the hotel is a modernized facade. The exterior, which has been defined by a bold color combination of blue, gray and yellow, will be repainted in an off-white shade, accented with metal louvres along the facade, Jacobs said. And tall, retail storefront-like windows will be added to brighten up the lobby space and add some curbside appeal along Sixth.
Guestrooms will be updated with new furnishings and laminate wood flooring in place of carpeting, and an accent wall will have a covering that mimics natural plaster. Stoa will also be sourcing local art for the guestrooms and public spaces, Jacobs said.
The hotel will also grow by four rooms by dividing eight of the hotel’s largest rooms into two.
“We’ll put custom furniture in there and new art,” Jacobs said. “It’s just going to be a really well-designed bespoke room that I think will be really exciting for guests. This is a big deal for us. We really love San Diego, and we think that the next 10 years of this asset could be really special. And to be a part of the neighborhood fabric is really important to us.”
Plans for upgrading the hotel come at a time when the Gaslamp Quarter is struggling to maintain its longtime reputation as a popular tourist attraction and nightlife hub. However, recent assaults and disorderly conduct, most notably at Fifth Avenue and F Street outside Tacos El Gordon, have had the effect of tarnishing the image of the well-known historic district.
On Friday, the San Diego Police Department announced that it will launch a “high-visibility” enforcement operation, dubbed Operation Last Call, this weekend, focusing on the intersection of Fifth and F.
“The Gaslamp Quarter is an iconic part of San Diego where people should be able to enjoy themselves, businesses should be able to succeed, and our police officers should be able to do their jobs safely,” Mayor Todd Gloria said during a Friday news conference. “I support (Police) Chief (Scott) Wahl and the San Diego Police Department’s efforts to address illegal and dangerous behavior by those who put others at risk in this important commercial and tourist district.”
Jacobs said he is confident that the city will make every effort to improve conditions in the Gaslamp Quarter, and he is not concerned about any near-term impact on the hotel.
“The city and the Downtown San Diego Partnership have done such a great job of supporting downtown and investing in it and doing their best to continue to make it what it can be,” he said. “And I truly believe in the future of downtown and Gaslamp, so yes, we see these things, but you know I think the city and the stakeholders in the area will continue to push downtown forward.
“I was just down there two weeks ago, and the Gaslamp was bustling with conference and convention goers and tourists, so you still see that still going on.”