When the economy slows down, one of the first casualties is often the hospitality industry. It makes sense. When businesses and consumers have less to spend, travel becomes a lower priority.
Carlsbad's tourism industry wasn't immune to this downturn; occupancy rates and hotel room tax revenue declined in 2009 and 2010.
Although our hotel and restaurant owners have been experiencing what we hope is only short-term pain, the industry's long-term prognosis is very strong.
The Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort and Spa, which is under construction at Ponto Road and Carlsbad Boulevard, is the most visible project. Overlooking South Carlsbad State Beach, this 215-room resort represents a $75 million vote of confidence in Carlsbad's tourism future.
Due to open next year, the new Hilton also will include a new 5,900-square-foot ocean view restaurant, Chandler's, which promises to be among the finest on the North Coast.
Another development, highly visible to the 12-year-old-and-under set, is Star Wars Miniland at LEGOLAND California Resort. This attraction, consisting of 1.5 million LEGO bricks, opened in March. Princess Leia, a.k.a. actress Carrie Fisher, trekked in from somewhere in the galaxy to mark the occasion.
Peter Ronchetti, LEGOLAND California Resort's general manager, said the park didn't deviate from its plan of adding new attractions, even during the recession.
"For a while we were swimming against the tide," Ronchetti said. "In 2009 we grew our attendance by 6 percent, and in 2010 we grew our attendance by 10 percent."
He said Star Wars Miniland is proving to be a huge hit, continuing LEGOLAND's winning streak.
The park also is progressing on plans to build a new 250-room, LEGO-themed hotel on the park grounds. It has submitted construction and grading plans with the city.
"We may be making an announcement, probably in the fall," Ronchetti said.
The 137,370-square-foot, three-story hotel also will include a restaurant and nightclub geared to families, all in the familiar LEGO theme.
While LEGOLAND provides an out-of-this-world playground for the very young, Carlsbad's original resort, La Costa Resort & Spa, is a world-renowned playground for adults.
Not content to sit on its laurels, the resort is completing $50 million in renovations and innovations, which brought 240 rooms back on line, giving it a total of 474 hotel and time-share units.
Hardly anything is going untouched in the remodel, including the resort's two legendary 18-hole golf courses, which have hosted PGA tour events.
With the resort's 240 rooms back in circulation, the city is again home to 3,635 hotel rooms in 34 hotels, plus 1,050 timeshare units. With the addition of the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa and LEGOLAND California Resort over the next two years, we'll have nearly 3,900 units.
And beyond hotels, we're seeing activity on the restaurant front.
In the Village, three more restaurants are in the development phase: Caf? Topes on Roosevelt Street, BOXD on State Street, and CATCH, which will occupy the recently vacated Blockbuster building on Carlsbad Village Drive. Also, Garden State Bagels opened recently on Carlsbad Village Drive.
Other restaurants that are due to open soon, if they haven't already, are Ignite Woodfire Bar and Grill in the West Bluff Plaza at El Camino Real and Alga Road/Aviara Parkway in La Costa; and two new restaurants in the Bressi Village Shopping Center on Gateway Road: Elevation Burger, and Hendo's Local Pizza and Pints.
These are all good signs that the city's hospitality industry is very much alive, and will come kicking and screaming out of the recession.
Carlsbad's tourism industry wasn't immune to this downturn; occupancy rates and hotel room tax revenue declined in 2009 and 2010.
Although our hotel and restaurant owners have been experiencing what we hope is only short-term pain, the industry's long-term prognosis is very strong.
The Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort and Spa, which is under construction at Ponto Road and Carlsbad Boulevard, is the most visible project. Overlooking South Carlsbad State Beach, this 215-room resort represents a $75 million vote of confidence in Carlsbad's tourism future.
Due to open next year, the new Hilton also will include a new 5,900-square-foot ocean view restaurant, Chandler's, which promises to be among the finest on the North Coast.
Another development, highly visible to the 12-year-old-and-under set, is Star Wars Miniland at LEGOLAND California Resort. This attraction, consisting of 1.5 million LEGO bricks, opened in March. Princess Leia, a.k.a. actress Carrie Fisher, trekked in from somewhere in the galaxy to mark the occasion.
Peter Ronchetti, LEGOLAND California Resort's general manager, said the park didn't deviate from its plan of adding new attractions, even during the recession.
"For a while we were swimming against the tide," Ronchetti said. "In 2009 we grew our attendance by 6 percent, and in 2010 we grew our attendance by 10 percent."
He said Star Wars Miniland is proving to be a huge hit, continuing LEGOLAND's winning streak.
The park also is progressing on plans to build a new 250-room, LEGO-themed hotel on the park grounds. It has submitted construction and grading plans with the city.
"We may be making an announcement, probably in the fall," Ronchetti said.
The 137,370-square-foot, three-story hotel also will include a restaurant and nightclub geared to families, all in the familiar LEGO theme.
While LEGOLAND provides an out-of-this-world playground for the very young, Carlsbad's original resort, La Costa Resort & Spa, is a world-renowned playground for adults.
Not content to sit on its laurels, the resort is completing $50 million in renovations and innovations, which brought 240 rooms back on line, giving it a total of 474 hotel and time-share units.
Hardly anything is going untouched in the remodel, including the resort's two legendary 18-hole golf courses, which have hosted PGA tour events.
With the resort's 240 rooms back in circulation, the city is again home to 3,635 hotel rooms in 34 hotels, plus 1,050 timeshare units. With the addition of the Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa and LEGOLAND California Resort over the next two years, we'll have nearly 3,900 units.
And beyond hotels, we're seeing activity on the restaurant front.
In the Village, three more restaurants are in the development phase: Caf? Topes on Roosevelt Street, BOXD on State Street, and CATCH, which will occupy the recently vacated Blockbuster building on Carlsbad Village Drive. Also, Garden State Bagels opened recently on Carlsbad Village Drive.
Other restaurants that are due to open soon, if they haven't already, are Ignite Woodfire Bar and Grill in the West Bluff Plaza at El Camino Real and Alga Road/Aviara Parkway in La Costa; and two new restaurants in the Bressi Village Shopping Center on Gateway Road: Elevation Burger, and Hendo's Local Pizza and Pints.
These are all good signs that the city's hospitality industry is very much alive, and will come kicking and screaming out of the recession.