After decades of planning, hotel developer Ensemble has opened the La Bahia Hotel & Spa, a 155-room luxury resort on Main Beach in Santa Cruz, Calif.
The $100+ million development sits on a historically significant site first envisioned for a hotel in the 1980s. The Ensemble flagship hotel incorporates the preserved 1926 bell tower and blends Spanish-Mediterranean architecture with modern amenities, according to the company.
“The opening of La Bahia represents the culmination of four decades of visioning, planning and execution—not just for Ensemble, but for the City of Santa Cruz and its community,” said Conrad Garner, managing director of Ensemble.
“La Bahia is a flagship addition to Ensemble’s portfolio, and one of our most ambitious new-build projects to date,” added Kristi Allen, Ensemble’s EVP of hotels.
The property includes 29 suites, four dining venues, a rooftop spa, an oceanfront pool deck and more than 13,000 sq. feet of meeting and event space. The majority of guest rooms feature views of the Pacific Ocean.
Ensemble manages the resort through its in-house hospitality division and operates other lifestyle and luxury properties across California, including the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz and Bernardus Lodge & Spa in Carmel Valley.