The Bower, a 39-room boutique hotel just steps from the Hotel Del, has opened on Orange Avenue, marking Coronado’s first new lodging property in more than three decades.
Eight years in the making, the $41 million project from the development firm, J Street Hospitality, is likely to attract many locals, given its boast of having the only rooftop bar in Coronado. It replaces the 1950s-era Villa Capri motel, which was taken down as part of the redevelopment.
Making its debut last month, The Bower exudes an understated luxury with its neutral color palette, modern art pieces in the lobby, multiple fire features — including one that changes colors — floor-to-ceiling windows, and Frette linens in the guestrooms.
And in an homage to the hotel’s longtime predecessor, the former neon sign hangs in the rooftop bar known as Dive. A second sign — the iconic diving lady — is on display on the side of the four-story building.
“Bower is really for all guests to feel wonderfully at home, and it really feels that way when you walk in the space in our main lobby where you don’t have that big (check-in) desk standing there where a line would form,” said General Manager Sean Murphy. “Every guest has their own kind of personal host, they walk in the lobby, they get greeted with a glass of Champagne, and personally escorted to their room, and then they’re given their host’s cell phone number, which they can use to communicate at any time, whether it’s for a Diet Coke or a late checkout.”
Another perk: Lounges on two of the hotel’s elevator landings offer complimentary pastries, fruit, teas and coffee for guests.
“We’re really just trying to evoke that feeling like you’re staying at a friend’s house or you’re being hosted somewhere,” Murphy said.
Some balcony rooms offer direct views of the Hotel Del Coronado across the street and the Coronado coastline.
In keeping with the hotel’s luxe design and amenities, nightly room rates start at $494 midweek during the offseason and $794 during the peak summer season.
The hotel location is also said to be the former site of John D. Spreckels’ Japanese tea garden, which provided inspiration for what The Bower designers call the hotel’s “wabi-sabi” feel, which refers to minimalism and also subtle imperfection.
“There are so many different textures here and instead of creating this real consistent, uniform approach, there will be three chairs at the table where there’d normally be four, and the fourth chair is off over in the corner,” Murphy explained. “And it’s done intentionally so that all of these different textures kind of blend together for this wabi-sabi feel.”
The hotel’s most unique feature is Dive, a rooftop bar and lounge that serves food throughout the day, including shareable plates in the evening hours. The only other Coronado venue that comes close to a rooftop-like space is the Hotel Del’s pool deck.
The last new hotel to come to Coronado was in 1991 when the Loews Coronado Bay resort opened. Now in the span of just a few months, a second new Coronado hotel — the 31-room Baby Grand from CH Projects — will open. It too will be taking the place of a 1950s motel.
Saj Hansji, president and founder of J Street Hospitality, said he was motivated to develop a hotel in Coronado after moving to the island in 2015. His company would acquire the Villa Capri two years later for $6.3 million.
“We discovered this unique development opportunity,” he said. “The site immediately stood out as an irreplaceable location with amazing potential. We spent about a year carefully evaluating and pursuing the acquisition.”
When his firm took over the 15-room Villa Capri that opened in 1956, Hansji said it was still structurally sound.
“However, after a thorough assessment, we determined that creating something truly exceptional for this location required starting fresh,” he added. “We made the decision to completely redevelop the property, allowing us to maximize the potential of the site.”
The project was approved in 2020 by the Coronado City Council, just as the pandemic was beginning. Hansji didn’t specifically address why the project took five more years to come to fruition. Construction started in 2023.
“We’ve been committed to striking the balance between honoring the community’s character and the city’s requirements, while ensuring the development remained financially viable,” he said in an emailed response to the Union-Tribune. “Our careful collaboration resulted in a property that we believe enhances the neighborhood and will stand the test of time.”
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