Challenges in Creating R.D. Olson's Largest Project

Wilhelm: “We’re now starting to see a very similar surge with a couple of clients converting hotels to timeshares.”

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA— The community and guests had high expectations for the Paséa Hotel & Spa here, which R.D. Olson Construction recently completed for a joint-venture development partnership between R.D. Olson Development and Pacific Hospitality Group . The 218,000-square-foot, eight-story, 250-room hotel , which is integrated with the Pacific City retail and entertainment center, is Orange County’s first purpose-built lifestyle hotel and brings unique design details and amenities to Huntington Beach. Features of the property include king and double queen rooms and numerous one- and two-bedroom suites, all with ocean views and balconies; a Balinese-inspired spa with indoor and outdoor treatment areas; a wood deck-wrapped pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean, complete with water and fire features and pool-side catering; 25,000 square feet of event space, including an 8,700-square-foot ballroom and 12,000-square-foot event lawn with ocean views; a six-story, 20-foot by 50-foot LED screen mounted above the hotel’s entrance that plays 40 hours of digital media; design and art elements that play homage to Surf City , including wave-inspired features and an installation of 1,400 flip flops created by Laguna Beach, CA-based artist Jorg Dublin ; and several dining and entertainment options, including Tanner’s Treehouse Lounge , a rooftop patio bar with a custom tree feature and ocean and pool deck views. We spoke exclusively with R.D. Olson Construction president Bill Wilhelm about what makes the property special, what the construction challenges were and how they were met, as well as what lies ahead for the firm. GlobeSt.com: What makes Paséa Hotel & Spa unique for the area? Wilhelm: It definitely adds another vibe to what Huntington Beach is working to do within the community. Huntington Beach has done a great job through redevelopment , growth and what have you, and this project adds a whole other level, providing for the future needs of Millennials and Gen-Zs . I was fortunate to have been out at different parties and openings for the property, and the vibe is just spectacular. The location is also spectacular—right on Coast Highway—and it’s part of the beach community. It takes away the sleepy, old Surf City feeling and adds an exciting, accelerating new vibe to what Surf City is today.

The lobby features many of the textures reminiscent of the Surf City heritage.

GlobeSt.com: What challenges did you encounter in constructing this property? Wilhelm: Projects like this are unique, and the challenges are how do you get it right out the gate to where the end product meets the community’s expectations and the guests’ experiences that you’re trying to achieve? It’s about the different design elements, the venues, the finishes, that are part of this fantastic property—that’s the challenge. You know where you want to go, and you understand and know the audience you’re reaching out to, but when you’re the new kid on the block, that presents challenges. There are exciting developments going on in Huntington Beach, with Pacific City especially, and this is another level above and beyond. So the challenge there is getting it right to where it’s well received and what the property has to offer gives the greatest returns to the city and the developer . It’s a challenge to roll the dice and do a lot of research—the developers reached out to who the end user is going to be—and I think we got it right. We have close to a couple hundred different colors, materials and textures on this property, and a lot of it brings back in the Surf City content: the ropes, the textures, the driftwood sensation. I’ve really got to tip my hat to ownership and the design team for stretching out there and pulling it off because the challenge was implementing it. GlobeSt.com: What new features are guests looking for in luxury hotels? Wilhelm: Guests want the experience, whether they’re Millennials or Gen-Zs. I’m an old-timer, but it’s about the lifestyle, being engaged with other individuals in the community when I’m at a property. I’m not interested in hiding up in my room in the major master presidential suite. As long as the room has all the amenities I need, I’m more interested in a property that will give me an experience that will make me feel engaged and part of the property and what’s going on there. I think we’re having to continually up the game because we’re all wanting to be a little closer to each other. The world is a tough place to deal with, and a lot of people want to be with people, share experiences and have social lives. We enjoy spending time with friends, getting grounded once again and enjoying the friendships we have, and that’s what people are looking for—those kinds of experiences.

The pool deck offers water and fire features that play homage to Surf City.

GlobeSt.com: What’s next for R.D. Olson? Wilhelm: We continue to focus on those projects that are on the cutting edge, those projects that play a major part in improving our communities, whether they’re hospitality , multi-unit or education in focus. We’ve got some very exciting projects coming up. On the hospitality side, we’re seeing a movement in major adaptive reuse and repositioning in the industry. In commercial buildings, we’re doing this conversion over to hotels . We’re now starting to see a very similar surge with a couple of clients converting hotels to timeshares . That part of the industry is showing more signs of going in a positive direction. Each project is tied to the community’s needs, and developers are being very smart about finding out what the end users’ needs are. With developers leveraging development and redevelopment opportunities across all property types, how can you capitalize on this activity? Join us  at RealShare Orange County on August 16^th for impactful information from the leaders in Orange County CRE. Learn more .