Sneak peek at Westin Verasa

Luxurious condo-hotel to open in September

By JENNIFER HUFFMAN
Register Business Writer

The first of a trio of new hotel projects in Napa is about to have a coming-out party.

The Westin Verasa condo-hotel on McKinstry Street will open for business Sept. 18, right on track with the owner’s plans.

The $100 million dollar hotel looms large on Soscol Avenue, near a burgeoning group of developments in the Oxbow district. A once sleepy part of town is evolving into a tourist Mecca, one that already has the Oxbow market and surrounding businesses, the Wine Train depot, and is expected to gain a Ritz-Carlton resort across the Napa River from Copia.

During a recent preview, Napa’s largest upscale lodging property bustled with activity as workers scrambled to put finishing touches on the two-year-long construction project.

Near a loading dock, trucks queued up to deliver furniture, carpets awaited unrolling and patches of dirt were prepared for planting. The swimming pool and spa were already filled with water. A number of workers assembled private cabanas nearby.

Guests at the craftsman-style hotel enter via a traditional port cochere, with a sandstone fountain centerpiece.

The grand entrance has polished oak floors, a glass-topped table with saguaro cactus trunk base and limestone and flagstone that trim the space. Wine lovers will recognize the riddling racks used as backdrop to the guest reception area.

On one wall, a fireplace trimmed in dark, polished flagstone soars more than 22 feet to the ceiling. Carpets and furniture will form a large living room area for guests to unwind, and nearby Bank Café & Bar will offer up culinary delights by La Toque chef Ken Frank.

La Toque restaurant, relocated from Rutherford, will also open in September, offering seating for more than 130.

The Westin Verasa has 180 rooms, including studios and one and two bedroom units. Each room features a flat screen TV, Xbox 360, DVD player, high-speed Internet access and private patio. Many also offer a full kitchen or kitchenette. Underground parking holds 232 cars.

Hotel rates will start at $299 per night. Condo-hotel units prices range from $400,000 to $1,174,900 for a two-bedroom unit, enabling owners a certain number of overnight stays a year.

Four meeting rooms and an outdoor terrace overlooking the Napa River provide 12,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. If you want to get married at the Westin Verasa in Napa, you can do that, too.

“There has been a lot of interest in weddings and corporate groups,” said Forrest Huisman, development manager with Intrawest Placemaking, the project developer.

“Two years ago this was a field of weeds and now we’re five weeks away from a grand opening,” said Huisman.

For Huisman and his staff, the transition from construction site to operating hotel is the culmination of years of work.

“Napa is seeing the fruits of our labor,” he said.

“This town has embraced us and given us a great opportunity to become part of the community,” he said. “I can’t say enough about Napa.”

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