Inn announces expansion plans
by Bret Bradigan

The already competitive world of upscale resorts has become even more fierce. Bacara, Biltmore, La Costa, are just a few of the new and/or improved resorts.
The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa , to meet this challenge, must go through a major expansion and renovation, said Thad Hyland, the historic inn's managing director, who gave the first public overview of their plans at the Rotary Club luncheon today.
The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, Ojai's largest employer and taxpayer, is scheduled to start its $47 million expansion and overhaul in January. That amount - for the first major renovation since 1987- is "enough to buy another resort," said Hyland.
Up to 95 new rooms will be added, as well as renovations and improvements throughout the facility, including new clubhouse and lockers, new service buildings at the existing maintenance area on the west side of the property, and upgrades - particularly technological - of meeting spaces to address the needs of conference customers. They also plan to add a pub and a pastry shop.
The critical need, said Hyland, is infrastructure. "The physical plant needs a lot of work. A lot of this is renovation." Sewer and water lines are in need of upgrades. Design features are inconsistent. The sound system in the ballroom is inadequate for business customers, who, at present, must eat where they meet.
To compete for convention business, Hyland said that the hotel would feature high-speed wireless Internet service. "You could take your laptop to meeting, take it to your room, or go to the bar, and get your e-mail."
During the renovations, the hotel will keep 60 of its 210 rooms open for golf and spa vacations, as well as for limited dining in its restaurants.
Those employees, of which the Inn employs 500 when fully staffed, who are affected by the changes will have the option to be trained to become subcontractors in the renovation, doing plaster or landscape work, for example.
"We have very good employees," said Hyland. "We want to make sure we keep them."
He is also working an exchange program with other resorts, where employees would go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming or Hawaii to work. "It might be an adventure for some folks; they would get new experiences to share with the rest of the staff."
The architectural design will restore much of the 79-year-old Inn's original Spanish Revival style, such as the Neff Building. "At the end of the day, it will look it belongs in Ojai. It will have a sense of place," Hyland said.
The plans will be presented to the city of Ojai Planning Commission in June. R.D. Olsen has been hired as the general contractor, and three construction crews will be at work simultaneously. Environmental review is taking place now.
Ojai City Manager Dan Singer said the environmental review process will be a careful one. "There have been important issues raised so far," he said. But he said the Inn has shown an eagerness to cooperate, citing their water reclamation project, "which goes beyond anything they would be required to do.
"This project is not likely to be felt by the average citizen in any significant way," Singer said, and that those impacts, construction traffic, for instance, will be minimized as much as possible.
Hyland acknowledges that expansion will cause some concerns among Ojai residents, and stressed that environmental mitigation efforts are of prime importance.
"It is our best interest to keep the environment pristine," he said. "We try to do the right thing whenever we can."
The Inn's award-winning recycling program was one indication of the Inn's environmental commitment, he said, as well as the lavender fields along Highway 150 being planted with organic compost. The Inn will also add custom-made, eight-passenger electric cars to its fleet to ferry customers back and forth to downtown Ojai for shopping and restaurants. The renovation will make the Inn more energy-efficient as well, adding insulation and fuel-efficient boilers and chillers to rooms. The water reclamation system plans are state of the art, as well, Hyland said.
They also plan to plant 430 trees, including sycamores and oaks. "We really try to do all these things in an earnest manner," Hyland said.
Singer said that while the Inn would be held to high environmental standards, "this is the cleanest industry you could ever invite to be the backbone of your community."

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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