Pacific Grove's downtown luxury hotel, the Kimpton Mirador, is open for business.

The long-awaited luxury boutique hotel, the Kimpton Mirador Pacific Grove, officially opened on Wednesday, Jan. 28, on the brink of some major regional events, including Super Bowl LX and the AT&T Pro-Am and at a time the town could use an economic boost.

With the addition of the four-story, 99-room Mirador, the city is projecting a bump of about $302,500 in transient occupancy tax revenue for the budget year ending in June compared to 2024-2025. The tax levied by the city is 12 percent, paid for by hotel guests.

Currently room rates are starting at around $375 per night. Rates could start at around $1,000 during prime times like Car Week. A check of room availability for the second week of August showed rooms are unavailable.

The hotel, located on Central Avenue between Fountain and Grand avenues in downtown P.G., is designed in a Spanish-revival style, echoing its neighbors, the Pacific Grove Public Library and the P.G. Museum of Natural History.

“The doors are open and it’s incredibly exciting to see guests and locals experiencing the hotel for the first time,” said Julia Chaland, general manager of the Mirador, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts. “We’ve created a place where Pacific Grove’s history and spirit meet modern luxury. Watching the hotel come to life has been a dream and we’re thrilled to officially welcome the community inside.”

The interior includes nods to the hotel’s natural surroundings, including artful abstracts of monarch butterfly shapes. There are hints to history: In one guest room a photo of famed marine biologist Ed Ricketts was seen on display. The first location of Ricketts’ Pacific Biological Laboratories is across the street from the hotel on Fountain Avenue. Ricketts was friends with author John Steinbeck and the inspiration for the character Doc in Cannery Row—Steinbeck’s family cottage is just blocks from the hotel.

Following the ethos of founder Bill Drennon Kimpton, guests are welcomed into the hotel’s “living room,” and offered a warm slice of house-made olive oil cake upon check-in. In the morning the space hosts a “Kimpton Kickstart” coffee hour and in the evening a “Kimpton Social” with curated cocktails and light bites.

In the center of the hotel is a 3,100-square-foot courtyard featuring a two-story fireplace. Builders brought in potted plants, coastal strawberry trees and more to give the space a lush feel.

The hotel also includes a new restaurant, The Caledonian, led by Chef Aaron Rayor, formerly of Stokes Adobe in Monterey. The restaurant’s interior features a floor-to-ceiling emerald green tile wall and a large bar with a green marble bar top and brass accents. The menu features “a modern American menu rooted in seasonal, locally sourced ingredients,” according to a press release.

Currently the restaurant is open to guests and the public from 7-11am for breakfast and 4-9pm for dinner. The bar is open 4-10pm, staying open until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

There are 22 styles of guest rooms, from a spacious, luxury suite with views of Monterey Bay, a double-sided fireplace and a table for eight, to smaller rooms. In a few cases there are three rooms sectioned off at the end of a hallway to create a suite of rooms for families and groups, with their own private hallway.

Guests may enjoy wellness classes, yoga, sound baths and guided nature walks, provided by Monterey Bay Moves. There are also complimentary bicycles.

Another feature of Kimpton hotels: They are animal friendly and don’t charge extra for pets.

It’s been a long journey for Pacific Grove to bring the hotel to fruition. Hotel zoning was approved by voters in 2012, followed by the owner of the site, Nader Agha, attempting to get approval for a much larger hotel of 275 rooms. After push-back from residents and through multiple public meetings, the hotel was slimmed down in size. Kimpton purchased the site in 2020 and amended plans for a boutique hotel were approved by the P.G. City Council in 2022.