Adobe Resort in Yachats kicks its $2 million remodel into high gear with lobby, bar, restaurant and room changes

 

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews

YACHATS — If you thought your last home renovation project was daunting, try multiplying it by a hundredfold — and then some.

That’s the prospect facing Yachats’ 110-room Adobe Resort as it kicks its $2 million-plus remodel into high gear beginning Sunday.

From the rooms to the lobby, restaurants to the gift shop, major elements of the city’s biggest hotel are about to enter the most public phases of a remodel that began last year. The changes include:

• An expanded lobby with a fireplace and sitting and meeting room;
• A smaller gift shop to accommodate the bigger lobby;
• New carpet, tables, chairs and lighting in the restaurants and lounge;
• A raw bar in the restaurant and a billiards table in the lounge; and
• Lighter, brighter paint tones on walls to alleviate dark interiors.

These changes join the room remodels begun in 2023 after the iconic resort was bought by Fusion Lodging, a fast-growing motel chain based in Depoe Bay. Fusion owns 13 motels on the Oregon coast, from Yachats to Seaside.

The Adobe’s rooms are being upgraded (or already have been) with new carpet, furniture, beds, lighting and bath fixtures.

While the pool and some rooms remain open during the work, the lobby and lounge will close beginning Monday through sometime in March. Guests will check in at a temporary front desk in a room next to the lobby.

The restaurant is scheduled to re-open Jan. 13.

“We’re doing what we can to keep our employees working, to keep things open while we renovate” said general manager Anthony Muirhead, who has managed the complex since 2014. “January and February are typically our slower months, but we’ll take a hit in terms of Valentine’s Day business.”

The Adobe employs about 50 full-time employees, adding another 25 for the summer tourist season.

Furniture giveaway Sunday

The refresh means getting rid of the old oak furniture — and it’s being given away Sunday. From dressers to chairs to TV stands, the goods are offered free — as long as takers bring their own muscle and vehicles to take them away.

People wanting the furniture need to go to the front desk beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday to be directed to a collection area. The giveaway is expected to last well into the afternoon and is the first of more to come as the remodel proceeds.

In revamping the décor, which was largely established by the prior owners in the 1980s, Fusion Lodging’s objective is to upgrade but not completely overhaul the place.

Overall, the design objective is “to make everything a little brighter, while protecting a lot of things people love about us, like natural wood,” said Muirhead. “We don’t want anyone to walk in and not recognize The Adobe. We’re building something fresh; it’s exciting.”

The lobby in particular will get a new look and configuration.

“We want it to be more of a gathering area you typically get in a hotel, rather than ‘Get your key and go to your room’ as the space is now,” said Muirhead. Toward that end, a fireplace will be installed, along with furnishings to encourage guests and visitors to meet and greet.

In addition, the wall between the lobby hallway and the bar will come down and open up the expansive view of the ocean. “You’ll see the ocean when you walk in,” said Muirhead.

New chef, no new shops

More change comes to the Adobe with the arrival of a new chef, Christian Andersen. Classically-trained in French cuisine, Andersen comes to the Oregon coast from the Napa Valley’s wine country. His resume includes a stint at California’s famed French Laundry restaurant in Yountville.

The raw bar that will be added to the restaurant means that “When diners come in, they’ll be able to see fresh seafood being prepared,” said Muirhead.

One thing taken off Fusion’s original plans is an idea to develop a cluster of small stores or galleries on some of the open land between the hotel and U.S. Highway 101. “No commercial shops will be going in,” said Muirhead.

When Fusion bought The Adobe and its nine-acre property, it also acquired two mostly bare lots comprising almost five acres on the north side of the complex. After state-mandated wetlands and archeology studies were performed, Fusion owner Sazzadur Rahman of Portland decided against trying to develop land that was ecologically and historically sensitive.

“We wanted to be respectful of that land,” said Muirhead.

Still on the drawing board, however, is a plan to create 30 daily rental townhome units on the property. “This is still being looked at; we’ll work around the existing wetlands,” Muirhead said. A conference center is also still being planned.

• Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to YachatsNews.com. She can be reached at Wordsell@gmail.com