A project decades in the making is finally ready to open its doors to the public.
The Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center -- a $1.3 billion, 1,600-room resort sitting on a four-acre property along the San Diego Bay waterfront -- officially invites its first guests inside on Friday.
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WATCH HERERates online showed rooms going for about $550 a night for its opening weekend. Available rooms for Friday night were booked solid, according to the website.
The sprawling property, just a few miles south of the heart of San Diego, comes equipped with several restaurants, a sports bar and a speakeasy. It's decorated with giant pieces from local artists, features ballrooms, convention center space and the Gaylord Hotels' signature atrium. That’s before you step out of the hotel into the resort’s water park with waterslides, a wave pool and a lazy river.
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The plan for a resort hotel on Chula Vista’s Bayfront dissolved in 2007 when unions, elected officials and Gaylord Hotels couldn’t find common ground. The project got back on track in 2012, but it still took another 13 years to complete.
More than 7,000 construction jobs were created to build the resort. Roughly 1,400 people will be hired to run it.
Gaylord Pacific is also expected to be a catalyst for development in the empty lots immediately next door and for miles around in Chula Vista. Other Gaylord projects around the country have spurred unprecedented growth in their respective surrounding areas.
The Port of San Diego said it anticipates Gaylord Pacific to help generate roughly $475 million for the local economy every year.
