Daily Business Report-Feb. 3, 2017
Topping the Best Hotels in San Diego list: the Fairmont Grand Del Mar
Fairmont Grand Del Mar Tops
List of Best Hotels in San Diego
The Fairmont Grand Del Mar heads U.S. News & World Report’s new list of the 10 Best Hotels in San Diego, saying it offers visitors “a hearty helping of luxury from the moment they enter the lobby.”
The magazine said its list is based on an unbiased analysis of awards, expert recommendations and user ratings.
“Guests rave about the incredibly spacious guest rooms, saying that the deep-soaking tubs, Nespresso coffee makers and rich Tuscan decor makes for a relaxing stay,” according to U.S. News in its review of The Fairmont Grand Del Mar. “And if that isn’t enough, there’s also a 5-star spa, swimming pools and a Tom Fazio-designed golf course.”
The Grand Del Mar also received high marks for its cuisine; the hotel’s Addison and Amaya restaurants serve award-winning French and Mediterranean fare coupled with regional wines; and its consistently friendly customer service.
The 10 Best List:
- Fairmont Grand Del Mar
- The Lodge at Torrey Pines
- The US Grant
- L’Auberge Del Mar
- Hotel Del Coronado
- Omni San Diego Hotel
- Kimpton Solamar San Diego
- The Grande Colonial Hotel, La Jolla
- Rancho Bernardo Inn
- Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
Ranco Valencia Resort & Spa was awarded the No. 1 Hotel in California by U.S. News & World Report.
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Oceanside’s Best Plaza Sells for $14 Million
Best Plaza, a 65,211-square-foot neighborhood shopping center in Oceanside, has been sold to Pacifica Companies for $14.175 million through an online auction.
Located at 1702 Oceanside Blvd. and situated on seven acres, Best Plaza was 35 percent occupied at the time of sale by three tenants: CVS Pharmacy, Chase Bank and Papa John’s Pizza. The center was riginally constructed in the late 1960s and renovated in the mid 1990s.
San Diego-based Pacifica Companies acquired the center from the seller, 1702 Oceanside Associates LTD. Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller.
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Academy of Our Lady of Peace Becomes
1st Fair Trade High School in San Diego
The Academy of Our Lady of Peace (OLP) has been officially designated as the first Fair Trade High School in San Diego by Fair Trade Campaigns. The school is only the seventh in California and the 29th in the nation to receive the designation.
OLP is part of a national initiative by Fair Trade Campaigns to engage K-12 students in issues of global poverty.
Fair Trade is an economic system that ensures consumers the products they buy were grown, harvested, crafted and traded in ways that improve lives and protect the environment. Fair Trade Campaigns officially recognizes schools in the U.S. committed to educating students about the issues of Fair Trade and sourcing Fair Trade products like coffee, tea and bananas in the cafeteria, offices and at events.
“Following in the longstanding tradition of our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, we continue the focus on environmental awareness and concern for social justice,” said Dr. Lauren Lek, Head of School. “While simultaneously answering the worldwide directive from Pope Francis to be good stewards of our earth, the young women leaders of our school have come together to enact this program on campus. The launch of this program through the passionate investment of the students is another testament to OLP serving as the nucleus of women’s thought leadership in San Diego.”
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Authorities Bust Auto
Insurance Fraud Ring
The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced a major auto insurance fraud ring takedown that was operating in San Diego County.
Nine defendants have been charged with 34 felony crimes including filing fraudulent auto insurance claims. Six defendants were arrested on January 31, and police are searching for one more. Two people received notices that they have been charged and must appear in to court.
Operation Persistent was a two-year investigation that uncovered a web of fraudsters who victimized insurance companies over several years. The ring used various schemes to file 34 false insurance claims for auto property damage. The schemes included staged collisions, nonexistent collisions, using already damaged vehicles, and phony vehicle thefts.
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UC San Diego Researchers to Study Most
Effective Treatment for Kawasaki Disease
Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at University of California Davis have received a $2 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) for a three-year study to look at the effectiveness of two treatment options for children with Kawasaki Disease, an uncommon illness that affects blood vessels in the hearts of children. It is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in infants and children.
KD can be hard to diagnose and experts don’t know the cause. With an estimated 6,000 cases a year in the United States, it is the most common in children ages 1 to 2 and can cause a variety of clinical signs, such as a high fever, body rash, bloodshot eyes, red lips and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.
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Brixton Capital Affiliate Acquires
Del Mar Plaza; Plans Revitalization
An affiliate of Brixton Capital has purchased the Del Mar Plaza from Munich, Germany-based GLL Real Estate Partners for an undisclosed sum. Del Mar Plaza is located at 1555 Camino Del Mar at 15th Street in Del Mar.
Brixton said it plans to revitalize and reimagine the well-known center by modernizing and elevating the overall appearance, tenant mix and community outreach in order to better meet the needs of local residents and visitors.
“The shopping center was built with a tremendous amount of community input in a timeless and irreplaceable location,” said Marc Brutten, chairman of Brixton Capital and long-time resident of Del Mar. “The Plaza now needs to re-capture that original sense of community purpose with a more defined tenant mix and active event calendar.”
A major part of Brixton’s plan for the center will be attracting greater community involvement in the center with frequent events and entertainment activities on the plaza level patio with its surrounding vista of the Pacific Ocean.
Eastdil Secured represented both parties in the sale.
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Award-Winning Author John Van Roekel
Appearing Feb. 18 in Downtown Library
Award-winning San Diego author John Van Roekel has been selected by the Friends of the San Diego Central Library as an “Author to Watch” and has invited him to speak about his new book “Lorenzo’s Assassin,” on Saturday, Feb. 18. He will appear at 1 p.m. in the Mary Hollis Clark Room at the San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., in Downtown. The event is free.
Van Roekel will also answer questions about the writing process and path to publication.
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Personnel Announcements
Bike Coalition Names Project
Coordinators For Chula Vista and Carlsbad
The San Diego Bike Coalition has named Skii Fleeton-Essenfeld as its project coordinator in Chula Vista and Chelsea Hunter as its project coordinator in Carlsbad. As residents of their respective job territories, Fleeton-Essenfield and Hunter bring years of historical neighborhood knowledge to their positions.
As a long-standing bike advocate in Chula Vista, Fleeton-Essenfeld will oversee community outreach to local businesses and bicycle education at local elementary schools. Most immediately, she has become involved in coordinating outreach for CiclaVista – Chula Vista’s first-ever open streets celebration slated for April 30.
In Carlsbad, Hunter will oversee outreach and promote educational events and fun community rides. Hunter has already organized a Bike and Wellness Exposition in her neighborhood in collaboration with Walk + Bike Carlsbad in late January. She received a master’s in applied anthropology from San Diego State University, and currently works as the sales and public outreach coordinator for North County Family Bicycles in Carlsbad.
