Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa and its ownership entity Xenia Hotels & Resorts have recently celebrated their opening after months of excitement building up to the big reveal. The Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond resort is situated on over 200 lush acres in Carlsbad, California—San Diego’s iconic coastal community—surrounded by natural beauty and tranquility atop a high ridge on the shore of Batiquitos Lagoon, offering guests a place to reenergize, connect and explore.
“Park Hyatt Aviara stands amongst a collection of luxury Southern California resort destinations with unique amenities, and we are honored to continue to reinvent this resort,” said Geoff Gray, General Manager of Park Hyatt Aviara. “We are proud to usher in this iconic and exceptional resort’s next chapter and a new level of understated luxury in Southern California.”
The renovation ushers in the next era for this beloved property with an elevated guestroom and suite product, new restaurant and bar concepts, and 83,000 square feet of upgraded meeting and event spaces. Guests will find a dramatic redesign to the resort’s striking lobby entrance, spacious public areas, and new pool offerings, which now features seven distinct aquatic experiences.
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa: Design and Guestrooms
In collaboration with distinguished California-based design firm, Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo, and its design studio, Wimberly Interiors, the new resort experience celebrates the Southern California lifestyle and the artistic expression of the Park Hyatt brand. With a focus on residential-inspired luxury experiences and renowned art and design, the property also draws inspiration from its stunning natural landscape, including the nearby Batiquitos Lagoon with verdant rolling hills and valleys, lush trails, abundant wildlife and vast ocean views. The entire design reflects an elegant, coastal retreat where guests can immerse themselves in the cultural heritage of this legendary location.
Already spacious in nature—ranging from 540 to 2,140 square feet—the 327 guestrooms (including 43 suites) have been redesigned as residential sanctuaries inspired by the beauty of the Great Blue Heron, a majestic local bird celebrated as progressive, self-reliant, tranquil and graceful. Every room at the resort provides one or two king-sized beds and embraces a refined, yet California-coastal style with contemporary décor that stylishly incorporates the subtle color palette of the Great Blue Heron.
Modern touches include hardwood flooring in entryways, chic bathroom upgrades and new furnishings, topped off with the resort’s original breathtaking views. All rooms are outfitted with luxurious pillow-top beds, wired and wireless internet, 55″ flatscreen TVs with over 150 channels, digital newspapers and magazines offering 7,000 + titles, in-room Bose stereo and more.
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa: Culinary
Several new immersive dining experiences accompany the resort’s transformation, including a collaboration with Richard Blais, an acclaimed chef, restaurateur, author and television personality, widely recognized from his many appearances on Bravo’s Top Chef as well as Food Network. Expected to launch early 2021, the restaurant will anchor the world-renowned Aviara Golf Club.
The new dining venue will represent the culinary embodiment of Park Hyatt Aviara’s commitment to celebrating classic California style and fresh, Left Coast cuisine. The design introduces vibrant, playful colors and coastal chic interiors, while the menu centers on vintage steaks and fresh seafood with modern twists on timeless culinary concepts.
Ponto Lago, set to debut later this fall, will immerse guests from across the globe while serving inventive Baja California-inspired cuisine with a local influence, alongside a bespoke bar program and the backdrop of incredible ocean views. Offering breakfast and dinner, as well as weekend brunch, Ponto Lago will bring the kitchen into the dining room, inviting diners to become a part of the culinary experience.
A popup restaurant concept adjacent to an interactive TopGolf Swing Suite will welcome rotating seasonal themes and menus for groups and leisure travelers alike. Chef Richard Blais will make guest appearances here as well.
The reimagined living room, aptly named Pacific Point, delivers a Pacific Rim-inspired menu. Creative fare takes center stage with dishes such as octopus poke, Wagyu short rib, and roasted and mochi carrots. Expansive windows provide guests with uninterrupted views of Southern California’s sunset and firepits offer a great location for gathering.
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa: Event and Meetings Spaces
The resort’s function and social spaces are designed to engage attendees, encourage innovation and inspire San Diego’s biggest soirees and fundraisers. The most spectacular venue is the resort’s four-acre multi-functional event lawn, offering a stunning alfresco venue accommodating up to 1,000 guests for special events, galas and weddings.
From the lobby’s outdoor veranda, a double grand staircase leads to this expansive new event lawn, featuring a colorful, eclectic display of native plants, including date palms, birds of paradise and an assortment of aloes and agaves.
Some modern elements include two new fountains and a steel sculpture by local artist Jennifer Gilbert Asher from Eaton Fine Art, which symbolizes the fluid movement of local birds through an abstract lens. The Rose Garden, which was redesigned in its current location as a reference to its legacy, invites guests to ‘stop and smell the roses’ with nine rose varietals.
Additional outdoor meetings and event spaces at Park Hyatt Aviara include the Jacaranda Courtyard located at Aviara Golf Club, which provides views of rolling hills and native wildflowers, as well as the vast 130,000 square foot Heron Lawn near the recreational center, which delivers entertaining activities like volleyball, a croquet field, horseshoes, a badminton court and bocce ball.
The property also features 40,000 square feet of indoor event space spread amongst 23 meeting rooms on two levels including the 11,730 square-foot Grand Ballroom.
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa: Amenities and Services
Catering to guests of all ages—the young and young at heart—a completely redesigned pool deck showcases two distinct fun-in-the-sun experiences. A serene adult pool offers private luxury cabanas, while the family pool is complete with a waterslide tower and tide pool splashpad. Incorporating two winding slides, the tower also pays homage to Carlsbad’s local wildlife with patterns of birds, reeds and fish commonly found in the nearby Batiquitos Lagoon. Waters’ Edge, the nearby pool bar, is an all-day casual stop where guests can unwind outside with creative bites and masterful cocktails (and mocktails), taking in the fresh ocean breeze and beautiful surrounding views.
The resort has added two Topgolf Swing Suites, an immersive social experience offering guests of all ages access to a premier lounge while enjoying casual fare, refreshing beverages and lively music. With a floor-to-ceiling screen and a selection of virtual games, the Topgolf Swing Suite delivers a one-of-a-kind simulation that is fun for golf enthusiasts and non-golfers alike. Guests can also enjoy the lounge’s billiards table or catch a game on one of the many televisions.
Park Hyatt Aviara is also home to the luxurious Aviara Spa with 20 treatment rooms and Aviara Golf Club, the only coastal California course designed by Arnold Palmer and home to the LPGA Kia Classic. Surrounded by its lush 200 acres, the resort offers a year-round escape while discovering enriching experiences that will leave guests inspired to return.
Additional services and facilities include the Park Hyatt Aviara tennis court and recreational facility, 24-hour in room dining, concierge, babysitting services, laundry/dry cleaning, valet parking, 24-hour security, overnight shoeshine and daily fitness classes.
Guided by its purpose of care, Hyatt’s multi-layered Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment further enhances its operational guidance and resources around colleague and guest safety and peace of mind. More information on Hyatt’s commitment can be found here: hyatt.com/care-and-cleanliness.
This resort has always had so much to offer their guests, and now with these renovations, it should be on everyone’s wish list for 2021…