In Grover Beach, there are currently nine hotels and motels, providing nearly 600 rooms for lodging.
For Perfetto Café owner Jami Fischer, she says the visitors help her business.
“We get so many great people here and they just love the fact that there's an Italian place with Italian coffee," Fischer said.
With the construction of the 134-room Grover Beach Hotel off Highway 101, Fisher is looking forward to welcoming a potential new wave of customers.
“I’m excited because I think it'll help with our business." Fischer said. "It'll help during the downtime as well because the hotels out here are busy.”
Megan Martin, Grover Beach's community development director, emphasizes that new hotels aren't just desirable but necessary.
She tells me they contribute significantly to the local economy through accommodation fees, dining, and other services, benefiting the community through job opportunities and increased spending.
The project, approved back in 2007, also includes infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks, bike lanes and curbs, which are expected to enhance the city's overall infrastructure and benefit residents and visitors along El Camino Real.
Other hotels along the same road, like The Oxford Suites of Pismo Beach, don't see the new hotel as competition.
“Any more attention and sparkling up of the area helps us, you know. We are a community, so to speak," said Todd Brown, general manager at The Oxford Suites of Pismo Beach. "There's plenty of pie for everyone.”
The construction of the new hotel has brought the City’s camping ordinance measures to El Camino Real, a move welcomed by both hotel and restaurant owners.
“I’m in contact with the owner because we have shared interest in keeping the area clean and pretty and safe," Brown said.
“It's going to look great. I'm excited," Fischer said.
The city expects the new hotel to open in early 2025.
