Health-minded hotel OK’d in city of Westlake Village
By Sylvie Belmond
Special to The Acorn

In a continued fast-track style that favors commercial development, the Westlake Village City Council last week approved a new 253-room hotel. It will serve with upscale amenities, proponents said, a growing business faction of the 101 Freeway technology corridor.

The proposal, nicknamed the Dole Hotel, will feature facilities and services to pamper weary corporate travelers who come to this area on business. It will also serve local residents who seek a weekend escape that’s close to home and others who want to host special events here, according to backers of the proposal.

"It is a specialized hotel because it has a spa—not just a day spa—but a health and nutrition-oriented facility that will be operated by the Mayo Clinic," said Westlake Village Planning Director Robert Theobald, in a later interview.

The facility will focus on healthy lifestyles, lectures, demonstration kitchens and non-invasive medical testing.

But this hotel won’t belong to the Dole Foods Co. as many seem to believe; it instead belongs to Castle and Cook, a development company owned by David Murdoch, who also happens to be the CEO and chief shareholder of Dole Foods.

"In this case, the food company has nothing to do with the hotel," said Theobald.

The project’s final design was presented to the council last week because it required an amendment to the city’s general plan and a zoning change.

The hotel will be located across the street from the Dole Food Company’s headquarters, and the streets Via Colinas and Via Rocas will have access to the site.

The area was originally zoned as office park, requiring a zone change to accommodate a hotel.

Previously, the company planned to develop a 183-room hotel and 200,000 square-foot office building on the 20-acre site.

The height of the building was initially a concern for the council, but it was quickly resolved when councilmembers learned that the extra height enabled the developer to leave a large portion of open space on the property. Fourteen acres will be landscaped in a garden like setting with four water features.

The six-story structure will be the tallest in Westlake Village, but proponents said lavish landscaping and the terrain will shield the structure significantly.

An additional 32 spa suites in a free standing building and a parking structure for 460 vehicles are other features.

The hotel’s restaurants and lounge will sell alcohol, so the applicant also needs a permit to sell alcoholic beverages that will be sold and consumed in the hotel.

The project initially drew concerns about traffic, but Theobald reassured the council that traffic would be less troublesome vs. an office complex. During rush hours, he said, an office building generates much more traffic than a hotel.

Mayor Bette De Santis asked about the 460-space parking structure, expressing concern that it might not be adequate. But Arnold Savraan, senior architect at Castle and Cooke Commercial, said it would provide plenty of parking. If an overflow ever occurs, Savraan said, the Dole headquarters parking lot could handle extra vehicles.

The hotel will also produce revenue for the city through Westlake’s bed tax.

The hotel and spa concept, designed by Savrann, was attractive to the council and little discussion took place during presentation of the proposal.

Savrann has designed hotels all over the world.

"He is an accomplished architect," said Theobald.