A six-story, 110-room 1970s hotel on Nimitz Boulevard in Point Loma — closed for 6 years — has been sold for $17.4 million. And the new owner has plans to turn it all into market-rate and student housing.
The 63,234-square-foot building at 2901 Nimitz Blvd., known over the decades by various names — currently the Consulate Hotel — was purchased by Encinitas-based Ambient Communities. Its previous owner was a La Jolla-based family trust called Nobel Legacy LLC.
Ambient Communities claims, reports the San Diego U-T, that the old hotel built in 1971 “has entitlements in place that facilitate an easy transition for rehabbing the structure.” Those entitlements include 48 parking spaces, space for meetings, an on-site bar, a restaurant and a pool. Ambient did not provide a timeline for when construction could be completed.
The U-T:
A broker representing the seller, Al Apuzzo of Lee & Associates, said the hotel was designed in the late 1960s and was mainly aimed at the Navy community serving in the area. He said the six-story structure makes it the tallest building in the greater Point Loma area.
“This property represents a prime opportunity for much-needed student and market-rate housing in San Diego,” Apuzzo said. “We are excited to see Ambient Communities bring new life to the site.”
The hotel has had a lot of names over the years — Loma Portal Inn and Rodeway Inn of America in the 1980s, the Quality Inn in the early 2000s.
“The hotel also served as a music venue over the years with different names for the space, including Jason’s Nightclub and the Cabrillo Dinner Theatre. An advertisement for a show at the space in 2001 that ran in The San Diego Union-Tribune called “Heaven Rocks” said it featured performers in heaven, including Judy Garland, John Belushi, Patsy Cline and Jim Morrison.”
Also, according to the U-T, “Before it shuttered, the hotel regularly received scathing Yelp reviews with users uploading pictures of broken toilet seats, outdated fixtures and allegations of bug infestations.”
Wow! It’s about time. Every time I drive past that hotel I think about what an amazing waste of space as it’s been shuttered for so long. What I don’t understand is why the city didn’t buy it to turn it into low income, housing or a homeless hotel, where people can pay what they can afford. When I hear terms like market rate, I shudder because I know that’s going to make it unfordable to most residents. Great story!
It used to be a hot spot in the late 1990s when it was called Harbor Nights and Jason’s Nightclub. Had some fond memories of that place back then…