Amenities have expanded over the years.
The Catamaran’s Oceana Coastal Kitchen serves fresh seafood, like ceviche.
he renovated and turned into a Mississippi-
style sternwheeler named the Bahia Belle.
EVOLUTION AND EXPANSION
Over time, both the Bahia Resort Hotel
and the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa
have expanded. The resorts’ most dramatic
changes are evident in the number of rooms
available at each. By 1968—15 years after it
first opened—the Bahia Resort Hotel had
gradually expanded to contain its current 314
rooms. Similarly, a tower with 160 rooms
was added to the Catamaran resort that same
year. Two decades later, the resort was ren-
ovated again, increasing in size to 311 guest
rooms. And the Bahia Belle received an
update in the 1980s to increase capacity.
Aside from adding rooms, Anne Evans
says she and her company have had to keep
up with changes in expected amenities as
well. “The public’s expectations of what
a hotel needs to be have changed a lot,”
she says, mentioning that they included
only telephones when the Bahia hotel first
opened. Of course, flat-screen TVs, wireless
internet access and more were later added
to the rooms. To keep improving accommo-
dations for guests, the company continually
reinvests its revenue into the hotels.
Sustainability is also important to the
company, according to Tony Castro, main-
tenance supervisor at the Bahia Resort
Hotel. “We have become much greener
36
“
I am immensely proud
of what we do and of
the relationship we have
developed with our
staff members and with
the public.
—ANNE EVANS
over the years and we continue to make
large strides in this area,” he says. “We
have made changes to our grounds and
watering systems in an effort to do our
part and conserve water due to California’s
recent drought conditions.” The hotels also
work to conserve energy and minimize
waste. In fact, for its sustainability efforts,
all three hotels have attained the highest
level of participation in the California
Green Lodging Program.
The business also remains a family-run
endeavor: When William Evans passed
away in 1984, Anne took on more responsi-
bilities within the company. With the help
of their children, she commissioned a cus-
tom-built, 100-foot sternwheeler called the
William D. Evans. Launched in 1986, the
400-passenger boat was crafted in the same
antebellum style as the Bahia Belle. Both
The Lodge at Torrey Pines is next to Torrey Pines Golf Course, home of the U.S. Open in 2008.