Craft beer pioneer Stone brews plan for 99-room hotel

Stone Brewing announced a 99-room boutique hotel Thursday tied to its Escondido brewery and restaurant, but with the caveat that it’s about more than beer.

It is believed to be the first of its kind — a ground-up property linked to a popular brand and the craft beer movement.

Stone founder Greg Koch said the $26 million, four-story building will be developed under a license to a new hotel entity, Untitled Hospitality, in partnership with McMillin, an offshoot of the Corky McMillin Cos.

“It’s an environmental experience, a culinary experience, a cultural experience,” Koch said of the project’s vision. “It’s not really beer-themed — you won’t come in and experience flowing rivers of beer or hops motifs all over the place.”

The designers are toying with various concepts, such as outdoor showers for some guest rooms, food-anywhere service, an elevator outfitted as a “kinetic sculpture” and a four-story, light-filled atrium that runs through the middle the building.

“You’re going to discover something unexpected, and I want it to be ‘Easter eggs’ everywhere,” said veteran hotelier Robert Cartwright, whose newly established Untitled Hospitality will own and operate the property.

He said small surprise touches could include “growler cabinets” for storing oversize bottles of beer in a guest room, Stone Brewing-commissioned bars of soap in bathrooms and, upon registering at the front desk, a complimentary glass of Stone beer brewed only for the hotel.

The rooms are being designed to be about 50% bigger than typical hotel guest rooms, based on projections that two or more people will often occupy each room.

Also, rather than the usual sliding-glass door, a floor-to-ceiling window system will flip open to increase access to each balcony.

If Escondido approves the project at 1990 Citracado Parkway, construction on the 13-acre site could begin next spring and be completed in the first quarter of 2018. Cartwright said the average daily room rate would exceed $200 if the hotel were open today — compared with the more common area rate of $100 to $150.

As of 2015, San Diego County was home to 114 locally based breweries and brewpubs that generated $851 million in sales and employed 4,512 workers, according to the National University System Institute for Policy Research. That’s up from 37 establishments and 1,630 workers in 2011.

The industry has also become a growing part of the region’s tourism business. Numerous beer tours attract visitors from around the world.

At the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens immediately west of the hotel site, 50,000 of the annual 500,000 customers signed up for tours last year. The San Diego Tourism Authority has made the burgeoning beer business a key feature of its marketing campaign.

“In fact, San Diego was named one of the ‘Best Beer Towns in America’ by Men’s Journal and cited as a ‘sunny heaven for suds lovers’ by the New York Times,” the tourism office says.

North County also draws visitors to area wineries and breweries, San Diego Zoo Safari Park and CSU San Marcos. The hotel site is down the street from Palomar Medical Center, which is projected to fill about the 30% of the hotel rooms each day.

“What a great sanctuary to get away to if you’re in town for a not-so-pleasant situation,” Cartwright said.

Stone first announced its intentions in 2011 to develop an $11-million hotel of less than 50 rooms. But Koch put it on hold as he focused on other projects — a company headquarters packaging hall next to the bistro, and breweries and restaurants in Point Loma, Richmond, Va., and Berlin, Germany. Hotel financing also was problematic at that early stage of the economic recovery.

“Really, we were more geared to our main focus which, of course, is brewing,” Koch said.

Cartwright and Hamann companies, which designed and built Stone’s other local projects, dusted off the old plans and began fine-tuning the details. Hamann architect Paul Giese and Basile Studio principal Paul Basile, who will handle interior design, said various ideas include an acre of outdoor event space, a lobby waterfall and bar and a 10,000-square-foot roof garden. Guests would be eligible for priority seating at the Stone bistro, which would also provide food service throughout the property.

Hotel owner and industry expert Robert Rauch, who looked into developing the Stone Hotel six years ago, said the larger size now proposed makes it more feasible. Its upscale concept should appeal to millennials and other travelers looking for a unique experience.

“That whole area is booming,” he said. “There’s definitely an opportunity there.”

Until now, Rauch said breweries and wineries have not entered the hotel business in a big way, largely because of the necessary expertise required. He said he knows of no other similarly sized and branded, ground-up hotel anywhere. But the idea could spread if Stone is successful.

Cartwright said he has broached the idea of a Safari Park hotel to zoo officials and thinks an Apple-branded hotel or a hotel at the Cabrillo National Monument would make sense.

“I think that’s our niche — find these beloved brands that want to do something different to be an extension of their brand,” he said.

As for obvious beer-related references, the design and development team is still brainstorming.

The hotel library might be stocked with beer-related books and magazines. The 99-room count coincidentally brings to mind the “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” song, which might provide more inspiration.

What about the Beer Pong drinking game played on a ping pong table? Designer Basile said he wasn’t sure that “would make the cut.”

Roger Showley writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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