RIDA in the News

CHULA VISTA – The countdown has begun for the opening of Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center, a Marriott brand that is expected to transform the South Bay in many ways.

The $1.2 billion project with 22 stories,1,600 guest rooms and 2 million square feet of enclosed space along the bayfront in Chula Vista first broke ground in July 2022.

Operated by Gaylord Hotels, the hotel/convention center is expected to start operations in May 2025, fronting San Diego Bay to the west and Chula Vista Marina to the south.

“It’s a game changer for the entire South County, not to mention Chula Vista and the Port District,” said Port of San Diego Commissioner Frank Urtasun. “The entire South County is going to benefit from having this kind of investment made on the Chula Vista bayfront. (The area) doesn’t have anything like this and never has, so this is a big deal for us.”

Urtasun said in addition to creating an economic engine in South County and diversify its hotel offerings, he expects that the project “could be the beginning of more (bay area) projects” and will also attract more business to the area, similar to when Petco Park was built and brought new life to downtown San Diego.

The hotel, convention center and hotel’s conference center have all been topped off – meaning the physical structure is complete and now the focus is on inside and outside the building. Additional construction of the site’s water features – including a 4.25-acre water park, lazy river, wave pool, adult pool and family pool – are underway.

Conventions are already being booked with guest reservations open closer to the end of the year.

“There is no development more anticipated in Chula Vista than this right now,” said Chula Vista City Manager Maria V. Kachadoorian. “Gaylord Pacific is going to transform the bayfront, and you can feel the excitement throughout the city. In addition to the economic benefits and jobs that the Gaylord development will provide, our community is eager to finally have a high-end hotel and conference center that will showcase our beautiful coastline and highlight our special connection to the bay.”

Construction is continuing on the Gaylord Pacific in Chula Vista.

‘Economic Driver’ of Next Decade
As part of the project’s approvals in 2022, the city of Chula Vista shared economic impacts, both during construction and ongoing.

The city said the construction economic impact to Chula Vista was $91 million, with 340 employees working. That was part of the greater San Diego County region, which reportedly would have a construction economic impact of $1.6 billion with 3,580 employees.

Chula Vista said the ongoing economic impact included economic output for Chula Vista of $325 million with a need for nearly 3,000 employees. That’s part of $475 million in economic output in the county with a need for 4,000 employees.

“The Gaylord resort hotel will be the economic driver for Chula Vista over the next decade bringing in thousands of employment jobs, bringing in tourism dollars and giving us the ability to invest on our western community,” said Chula Vista Mayor John McCann.

“It’s my No. 1 priority. We believe that it’s going to positively affect the entire city, and my goal is to create linkages with businesses all over the city to connect with the Gaylord and their conventions. Thee vision is to have Gaylord get connected to help our downtown Chula Vista thrive.”

Russ Mitchell, director of sales and marketing for Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center, said that conventions are already being booked in anticipation of the opening, noting that many events and conventions are booked years in advance and that customers have long requested a West Coast location for Gaylord.

The hotel will have 477,259 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor event spaces, with the largest space at 140,049 SF. Convention space will be able to accommodate more than 3,000 attendees.

Mitchell said “hotel management is pleased with the number of conventions already booked,” and that it expects to host its first convention in July 2025. He added that bookings for corporate events and trade associations have been strong.

Each Gaylord resort is purpose-built for meetings and events, providing a flexible stage to accommodate a meeting planner’s preferences, needs and vision, Mitchell said.

Several swimming pools are being constructed at the Gaylord Pacific in Chula Vista.

All-Under-One-Roof Experience
The Gaylord Pacific will offer 12 dining facilities, including Marzul Coastal Grill & Bar, as well as Gaylord’s staple steakhouse – Old Hickory. Gaylord Pacific will feature an onsite full-service spa with 14 treatments rooms and five swimming pools.

One of the unique selling features is the property’s all-under-one-roof experience, Mitchell said.

Convention attendees will be able to go from the Gaylord Pacific’s indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces to its nearly one dozen restaurants and bars to its water park and pools or unique activities and entertainment, giving them more time to spend together.

“We are excited to bring Gaylord Pacific’s convention center to the market, as there is an opportunity to bring new conventions to the market, including groups that are not big enough to get into the San Diego Convention Center and too big for the large hotels in the market,” Mitchell said. “In fact, 60% of the business booked so far has never met in San Diego.”

One of the highlights of the property is a 28,500 square foot signature atrium with a translucent fluorine-based plastic roof similar to Allegiant Stadium and SOFI Stadium, according to McCarthy Building Companies’ website.

The resort is a Mortenson | McCarthy joint venture in partnership with RIDA Development and HKS Architecture. McCarthy on its website noted that the Gaylord Pacific is the largest active hotel construction project in North America.

There are currently 1,200 trade workers on site currently installing glass and the roof on the atrium lobby, putting in drywall, tile, wallpaper, bathroom vanities and more in guestrooms and working on the hotel’s restaurant and event space build out.

“The Gaylord Pacific is going to make a great big impact here in our city not only with tourism but also our business community,” said Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce CEO Marcy Weaver.

But Weaver divulged that she has a personal reason for wanting the Gaylord Pacific up and running. She said every year the chamber holds events and typically has had to look outside of the city for a spot to gather.

“We really haven’t had a venue where we could host our events,” she said. “The chamber has hosted at a venue at Eastlake, but it’s really just a little room. We have needed a larger spot in Chula Vista to host events, and to hold high school proms and other galas. So with this hotel, we are going to be able to keep community events in Chula Vista.”