Tres Pinos hotel moving forward
A rural corner of San Benito County could find itself home to a
new tourism hub in the next couple of years if John and Jae Eade
have their way. The couple has been moving forward with their plans
for a small boutique hotel in downtown Tres Pinos that would
service tourists.
Tres Pinos hotel moving forward
A rural corner of San Benito County could find itself home to a new tourism hub in the next couple of years if John and Jae Eade have their way. The couple has been moving forward with their plans for a small boutique hotel in downtown Tres Pinos that would service tourists.
Some may wonder if the region has enough tourists to make it sustainable, but at least one careful observer of local business was cautiously optimistic.
“It would happen, but whether it would happen at the level they would want it, I can’t say,” said Al Martinez, the head of the Economic Development Corp. of San Benito County.
The husband-and-wife business team first considered using their land in Tres Pinos as a residential site until they talked to local business owners.
“The wine people – everyone I’ve talked to – is really behind it,” Eade said. “They would like to use something like this to anchor the wine tourism industry in this area.”
For the last several years Martinez has been tracking tourism and the wine industry for a federal report on local economic development. Tourism numbers have been going up slowly, Martinez said.
San Juan Bautista, with the Mission and boutique shops, has been planning weekend events, such as the recent craft fair, to bring in tourists. At least one of two hotels in San Juan, La Posada Inn, is doing well, according to Martinez.
“It’s right smack in the middle of the city,” Martinez said. “It has beautiful rooms. It has a sauna bath within walking distance of every restaurant and the place is usually full. It’s doing very well.”
For now, local business owners paint a picture of downtown Tres Pinos – home to the Tres Pinos Inn, the Veranda Cafe, the Cantina and several other eateries or watering holes – as a hot spot on the weekends.
“[Customers] always ask us if we have rooms because of the name,” said Mitch Bakich, manager of the Tres Pinos Inn. “Right now the nicest place to stay is the Ridgemark Cottages. It’s the closest place.”
Bakich encounters people who are popping through the region on their way to play a round of golf or to visit wineries such as Leal Vineyards or DeRose Vineyards. While many of the visitors are local to San Benito, more are coming from outside the region from as far away as San Francisco.
“People might stay longer and enjoy themselves a little more knowing they don’t have to drive home,” Bakich said.
While the hotel project is still coming up against opposition from some local residents who fear the increase in traffic along their portion of Hwy. 25, among other reasons, the hotel would fit in with the vision of future economic plans for the county.
The Integrated Waste Management department received a grant to study the local economy. The study found four factors or industries that could be used to help sustain the county – the historical value of Hollister, organic food products, tourism and wine.
“We have a wine association that is working on putting on events to draw people to the area,” Martinez said. “Fortunately some of these [wineries] produce some world-class wines and they’ve got a reputation.”
In the meantime, the next step for the Eades is applying to have their land rezoned so that they can go forward with the hotel project. Eade declined to disclose details on recently completed traffic surveys or other information about the project at this time.
