October 29, 2013 – Award-winning Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley is in escrow to be sold to the Seattle-area Noble House hotel group by mid-November.
Edible Monterey Bay has learned Bernardus General Manager Michael Oprish called staff together last Wednesday to deliver the news, telling employees the sale to Noble House was 98% certain to go through in the next two weeks.
“I’m excited about the new owners because each of their other properties is very unique to its location and it’s not a cookie cutter chain,” he said by phone, without confirming the name of the buyers.
Noble House is a privately held company that owns or manages 16 luxury boutique hotels in places like Napa Valley, Palm Springs, San Diego, Telluride, Key West and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They also operate the Edgewater and Deca hotels in Seattle.
Noble House President of Development Jamie Colee—a 1992 graduate of UC Santa Cruz in Economics—is in charge of the acquisition, but he referred our calls to their PR agency, which declined to comment.
The deal includes Bernardus Lodge and Will’s Fargo restaurant in Carmel Valley. Bernardus Winery and vineyards in the Cachagua hills will remain in the hands of owner Ben Pon. The 7-acre Ingrid’s Vineyard surrounding the lodge is part of the sale, but will be cultivated and used by the winery. The sale price was not disclosed.
Pon—a Dutchman and former racecar driver for Porsche—believed Carmel Valley was perfect for making the Bordeaux style wines he loves and began the winery in 1989. The 57-room lodge opened in 1999 and resembles a gracious European country inn with exceptionally fine dining thanks to Executive Chef Cal Stamenov who has been with the lodge since it opened.
Bernardus Lodge was quietly put up for sale last December as the 76-year-old owner prepared for retirement.
Staff members at the lodge are understandably nervous about the pending sale and new management. Noble House has already posted a job announcement looking for a Human Resources/Payroll manager at Bernardus Lodge, to “oversee employee relations, recruitment and retention.”
But Oprish doesn’t expect any problems, saying: “I’m sure there’s not going to be anything drastic. I foresee a smooth transition.”
Bernardus Lodge—a member of the Leading Hotels of the World—has won dozens of accolades over the years and regularly appears on lists of the world’s best hotels. In July, Wine Spectator magazine bestowed its Grand Award on the lodge’s signature restaurant Marinus, calling it one of the “best in the world for wine lovers.”
About the author
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
