Eiler’s innards on sale

Eiler’s Inn is no more, but a new boutique hotel will be opening in its place.

The hotel at 741 S. Coast Hwy was built by J. R. Leonhardt in 1946 and was the Clift Hotel until 1983. The 12-room bed and breakfast became Eiler’s Inn in 1983. The name was in honor of the famous Laguna Beach greeter, Eiler Larsen.

Business partners Brent Eneix and Daniel Sussman purchased the property in 2007. Eiler’s officially shut its doors around Christmas.

Eneix said the duo plans to renovate the building into a high-end boutique hotel, but the facilities will have to be updated to achieve that.

As of now the rooms have no radios, phones or televisions and much of the furniture hasn’t been replaced in years.

“We think this building, this location is amazing,” Eneix said. “But some of this stuff hasn’t been touched in 40 years.”

The new hotel, which will be known as Seven4one, will get new paint, carpet and furniture. Sussman and Eneix will also update the room technology, adding amenities like flat-screen TVs.

“What we’re doing is putting a cosmetic face-lift on the entire place,” Eneix said.

Everything in the hotel from the Eiler’s Inn era is for sale. From armoires to beds to tables, everything has to go. There are dressers and mirrors, and even art collected in the hotel throughout the years. The items in the hotel courtyard must go as well including plants, statues and a fountain.

The hotel will also see more environmentally friendly changes in the remodel. The hotel will have tank-less water heaters, dual flush toilets, and eco-friendly bath materials.

Eneix said that while the hotel will be undergoing major changes, they will do as much as they can to preserve the spirit of the space.

“We’re going to try to be as sensitive as we can to the building’s history,” Eneix said.

It’s a history that includes famous guests like actor Robert Englund, a Laguna resident, and 1960s icon Timothy Leary.

But Eneix and Sussman aren’t simply going to reface the old building and call it boutique. They plan on bringing their guests the highest level of specialized service possible.

Eneix said the goal is to try to personalize guests’ stays in whatever way possible. If a guest wants special food during their stay for example, Seven4one will make it so.

Eneix said each guest will have a guest experience manager, or GEM. Eneix said the hotel’s “priceless GEMs” would coordinate with guests before they even arrived to assure their stay is first-class.

Because the hotel is so small — 12 rooms and two suites — Eneix said they will also be able to specialize in renting the entire hotel to groups. From entire families or companies looking for a corporate retreat, the hotel would tailor the stay to the group’s needs.

Sussman, a restaurateur, and Eneix, who managed an RV park, hope to open Seven4one around June.

“We’re not hoteliers in a sense, but we’ve got enough knowledge to be dangerous,” Eniex said.

The sale of Eiler’s Inn furniture is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Inn, 741 S. Coast Hwy., through Monday.