SAN DIEGO — One of San Diego County’s most iconic hotels, the historic The Lafayette Hotel & Club, has been named the 2024 New Hotel of the Year by Esquire Magazine.
The Lafayette
The old treasure, originally built in 1946, celebrated the completion of a $31 million transformation in 2023. Esquire Magazine named the Lafayette Hotel’s style, food, bowling alley and room designs as reasons for awarding the recognition.
“This unexpected, unabashed party palace just might be the best reason to head to San Diego,” writer Kevin Sintumuang wrote in Esquire Magazine.
The Lafayette Hotel & Club located in the heart of North Park is operated by CH Projects. The company operates some of San Diego’s favorite restaurants and bars including, YoungBlood, Raised by Wolves, Born & Raised, Neighborhood, Craft & Commerce and Ironside.
"It's pretty surreal considering this is our first hotel, and we’re amateur hoteliers at best. This work is so personal to us, and we had such a clear vision for the cultural void we wanted to fill in the hotel landscape in San Diego," CH Projects Founder Arsalun Tafazoli said in a statement to CBS 8. "To see the project be embraced by our city, and obviously when a national institution of a publication acknowledges the work, it fills my heart with more joy and gratitude than I'm capable of articulating through words.”
Inside the transformation
Originally built in 1946, The Lafayette underwent a major transformation. CBS 8 toured the newly reimagined property ahead of the hotel's grand opening in 2023.
- Inside the premium poolside rooms, guests will appreciate the attention to detail, everything from the custom bed linens to the wallpaper.
- Each room is accentuated with a curated mini bar with over 40 selections for spirits, drink recipes, and snacks.
- To top it off, Lafayette even has a Victorian-style bowling alley.
- The LaFayette Hotel & Club’s complete overhaul, its first proper restoration since it was built, was designed by Brooklyn-based Post Company, including eight new food and beverage outlets along with all 139 rooms and the signature pool that remains the focal point of the property.
- Renowned music producer Swizz Beats has created the hotel’s soundtrack played on a custom-built speaker system designed by Devon Turnbull.
- The aesthetic embodies the hotel’s connection to its glamorous past while showcasing modern, yet meaningful craftsmanship within a collection of eclectic spaces.
PHOTOS: The Lafayette Hotel and Club
WATCH RELATED: Historic Lafayette Hotel & Club undergoes $31 million dollar makeover
