Business

Friday, Aug. 15, 2008

Biz Buzz: New spa is finishing touch for Madonna Inn

The hotel has attracted more business after it completed a multimillion-dollar pool project, including a new day spa

Comments (0) |

The last piece of the Madonna family’s multimillion-dollar pool project located on a hillside parcel at the iconic San Luis Obispo hotel is now complete.

Though the family has long thought of their decorated venue as a destination of their own, Connie Pearce, general manager and daughter of the late Alex Madonna, said they always felt something was missing.

“A pool was always one of the things people expected,” Pearce said.

Alex Madonna put off building a swimming pool because he didn’t want people to drip water on his hotel carpets, his daughter recalled.

However, the new pool has boosted Madonna Inn’s occupancy rates by about 20 percent since it opened last year, Pearce said, noting it attracts locals as well as outside travelers.

The number of walk-ins served at the 109-room hotel, those who booked rooms without a reservation, has also increased, Pearce said, though she didn’t have a specific number. She thinks the boost in that niche of customer traffic is from people who see the pool area’s 45- foot-tall waterfall feature from Highway 101.

The Spa at Madonna Inn, a 3,500-square-foot day spa, opened last month and features a “celestial” theme with blue and gold accents, Pearce said. The poolside facility, which is open to the public, employs seven people and houses six treatment rooms, men’s and women’s bathrooms and relaxation areas with furnishings sporting an assortment of shapes and fabrics the Madonna family designed.

The entire pool area, which the Madonnas started designing in 2004 and which has cost about $4 million, includes a 90-foot-long pool, waterfall, exercise room, day spa and a food and drink area.

A grand opening of the day spa is scheduled from 9 a. m. to 7 p. m. Sept. 11 and Sept. 12.

—Tonya Strickland

Children’s boutique will celebrate one year

Mia Boutique, a children’s consignment in downtown San Luis Obispo, will celebrate its first year in business this month. The store, which carries clothing for newborns to age 8, also stocks maternity clothing, toys, furniture, baby gear and nursing supplies. The shop, operating at 570 Higuera St., Suite 190 in the Creamery building, also teaches a free “Mommy and Me Baby Sign Language” class every Wednesday at 9:20 a. m., owner Jackeline Allegretta said. She is also the co-owner of the local Mama’s Meatball restaurants.

—Tonya Strickland

Big Bro Big Sis gets foundational grant

Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County recently received a $4,500 grant from the Morgan Stanley Foundation in support of the agency’s youth mentoring programs. Big Brothers Big Sisters works to provide youth mentoring on the Central Coast since 1995. Morgan Stanley is a financial services firm with local offices.

—Tonya Strickland

SLO woman receives golden eagle award

Susan Polk, of Susan Polk Insurance Agency Inc. in San Luis Obispo, recently received a golden eagle award from the Leading Producers Round Table of the National Association of Health Underwriters.

The honor is given to individuals who demonstrate professional excellence in the sale of health and disability income insurance.

The association represents 20,000 professional health insurance agents and brokers who provide insurance for millions of Americans.

—Tonya Strickland