New W Hotel and Residences to Open in California’s Orange County

By Erin Brereton, Content ManagerHuntington Beach, Calif.–Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. recently announced plans to create a new W hotel and 92 full-service private residences in Huntington Beach, Calif.Owned by an affiliate of Newport Beach, Calif.-based developer Makar Properties LLC, the W Huntington Beach hotel will feature a restaurant, bar, spa and approximately 250 guest rooms. “In considering new project sites, location is extremely important. When the beautiful piece of coastal property in Huntington Beach became available, we couldn’t pass it up,” says Paul Makarechian, president and CEO of Makar Properties. “We are excited to enhance Huntington Beach’s surfside lifestyle by creating a hip, new, mixed-use destination. It is the perfect resort lifestyle location for the W customer.”Scheduled to open in 2010, The Residences at W Huntington Beach and W hotel will be the central element in Makar’s Pacific City development, which, in addition to a residential component, includes a retail village, scheduled to open in late 2009.The Pacific City complex’s first section will include 136 one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The one-bedroom units will be priced from the low $800,000s to just under $1 million; two-bedroom units will range from $1 to $1.5 million. Three-bedroom units will cost from $1.75 to $2 million. Completion is planned for late 2009.Units will feature high ceilings, large patios, decks or balconies and underground parking. A new recreational facility will include concierge services, a pool, spa and fitness center.Makar Properties is a diversified real estate development company that specializes in the acquisition and development of master-planned communities and mixed-use, resort, retail, golf, office and residential properties.W Hotels has 21 properties around the world. The W Huntington Beach will be the fifth California property for the W brand.