Locals waited nearly 20 years for the historic Miramar Hotel to reopen in Montecito. The famed blue-roofed resort was torn down long ago, and its lavishly designed replacement finally opened in February amid great fanfare, with owner Rick Caruso making a point to welcome the community and the community eager to take him up on the offer.
Everything was going smoothly with the relationship until Thursday afternoon when, like an unexpected wave hitting the shore, drama washed over the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort and its carefully crafted image.
Residents complained that they were told by Miramar staff to leave the beach area near the hotel.
Coastal access is a hot-button issue in California, whether it’s Miramar Beach, Goleta Beach County Park or Hollister Ranch. The California Coastal Act states that beaches and the sand below the mean high tide line are open to the public, even if people own private property along the beach. Not everyone knows that — or is willing to abide by the law.
Abe Powell, a civic leader best known as the driving force behind the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, was among a group of Montecito Union School parents and students who hit the beach after the school’s sixth-grade graduation ceremony Thursday.
But what started out as a celebration ended up being anything but after two men in dark suits, who appeared to be Miramar representatives, came out on the sand where the school party had set up for the afternoon.
Powell described the encounter in a post on his Facebook page.
“We wanted to start the summer right with a swim and, hopefully, a delicious snack from the new hotel on the beach,” he wrote. “But when the men in dark suits came out to greet us, they did not want to take our order. They wanted to order us off of our own beach.”
In a video that accompanied his post, one of the men is seen talking to a woman about beach access and a private event.
“I am happy to talk privately,” the man says as he backs away from cell phones videotaping the conversation.
Powell said he was “really surprised” and “many of the parents were simply dumbfounded.”
“To be clear, we were below the mean high tide line with credit cards and hungry graduates,” he wrote. “We were ready to support the Miramar Hotel by bringing our families and buying food and beverages. At that moment there were exactly zero Miramar guests on that beach. That means we were the only potential commerce opportunity on that beach at the time.”
Powell asked the hotel management to take down the “guests only” signs and ropes because they were on public property. He also proposed a “redo.”
“You can sell us food and tasty beverages and maybe make some money, and your staff can earn some tips,” he said. “Maybe we could even have a locals night at the Miramar once a month? That would be good for business and the community.
“Bottom line: It was wrong for the Miramar to ask us to leave our own beach yesterday and it definitely upset our kids. They want to know that this beach is still for everyone. We need to show our entire community that it is and will remain so.”
Rosewood Miramar Beach spokeswoman Jennifer Zacharias issued a statement to Noozhawk from Seán Carney, the hotel’s managing director.
“We did not ask the group to leave the beach, we were simply trying to maintain compliance with our government approvals,” Carney said. “We are sorry that the group was upset and have already had productive conversations to ensure that they feel welcomed.”
He said the hotel installed ropes, called stanchions, on the sand to define the food and beverage area.
“This requirement is to ensure that individuals do not take beverages outside the designated area, which is consistent with government approvals for the hotel,” Carney explained.
He emphasized that the hotel has “embraced our neighbors and welcomed neighbors and visitors alike.”
“All of our seven restaurants and bars located throughout the property are open to the public,” Carney said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
