![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SUT-L-BABY-GRAND-0510-007.jpg\")
The front entrance and host stand for the Night Hawk restaurant at the Baby Grand hotel in Coronado. (Kristian Carreon \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
The new two-story hotel occupies the site of a former 1950s-era motel, pool and sprawling parking lot, a relic of America\u2019s now faded roadside motels that once were ubiquitous along the country\u2019s highways. With today\u2019s lodging destinations now increasingly focused on the experience of a hotel or resort stay, as opposed to a place where you simply sleep for the night, CH is taking that mission to a whole new level \u2014 as it did with its $31 restoration of the Lafayette on El Cajon Boulevard.<\/p>\n
Given CH Projects\u2019 signature focus on meticulous custom work and what often feels like over-the-top design, it\u2019s no surprise that its projects are costly. The Baby Grand started out at a budget of around $17 million and is now up to $18 million.<\/p>\n
Tapestries inspired by Pompeiian wall paintings line the walls of the lobby, which features a huge chandelier fashioned from 1930s art deco light fixtures from France. Guest rooms feature bespoke touches like iridescent clamshell headboards for the beds. Outdoors, lush landscaping and floral lawn chairs sitting on a sandy area surrounding a lagoon and wading pool suggest a nod to Coronado\u2019s island setting.<\/p>\n
And true to CH\u2019s deep bar and restaurant roots, the hotel will have an outdoor Greek restaurant and an elegant Champagne and oyster bar, cleverly concealed behind the lobby.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SUT-L-BABY-GRAND-0510-006.jpg\")
The bar at the Night Hawk restaurant, a Greek open-fire dining venue at the Baby Grand hotel at Coronado. (Kristian Carreon \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
The opening of the hotel marks a rare occasion in Coronado. A year ago, The Bower, a 39-room boutique hotel also near the Hotel del Coronado, made its debut, becoming the city\u2019s first new lodging property in more than three decades.<\/p>\n
CH co-founder Arsalun Tafazoli had expected the Baby Grand to open first, but that was wishful thinking. The long delay in completing the hotel was largely due to the bureaucratic challenges of working with a municipality that CH had never dealt with before, Tafazoli said. He called it a \u201csteep learning curve.\u201d<\/p>\n
What emerged, he says, is an amalgam of art and beauty that he hopes will define what is CH\u2019s second hotel project \u2014 and lure locals and out-of-towners to return again and again.<\/p>\n
The Baby Grand, Tafazoli points out, is the polar opposite of the type of lodging that had defined the Orange Avenue space previously.<\/p>\n
![\"Fallen](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SUT-L-BABY-GRAND-0510-009.jpg\")
Fallen Empire, a hidden oyster and champagne bar within the lobby, features mirrored walls and solid brass booths at the Baby Grand hotel in Coronado (Kristian Carreon \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re sort of taking an era of development and reformatting in a way that is repurposing it more for humanity and less for cars,\u201d he said. \u201cSo you have this great portal like Orange Avenue, and over the years, it\u2019s been optimized for cars versus people. We just thought, we want to create something more aspirational, immersive, an amenity for this neighborhood. And we obviously have a strong opinion about what good art is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the hotel\u2019s decor, most notably the antique statues sourced from Italy, Spain and Turkey, and the lobby\u2019s vintage tapestries, suggest a trip back to ancient times. Tafazoli, though, says the design\u2019s visceral messaging is really in the eye of the beholder.<\/p>\n
There is no specific era or centuries-old civilization CH and its designer, Post Company, were trying to replicate. In fact, Tafazoli, who describes himself as a huge fan of science fiction, suggests that parts of the Baby Grand may even feel futuristic.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SUT-L-BABY-GRAND-0510-001.jpg\")
A guest room that utilizes an eclectic and Maximalist style inspired by the history of Coronado features a clamshell bed and tropical wallpaper at The Baby Grand in Coronado. (Kristian Carreon \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look at the built environments that have endured, I feel like our contemporary, modern structures are dictated by the market economy,\u201d he said. \u201cThe reason why Rome is the most traversed metropolis in the world is because there are structures and built environments that were designed to commemorate a higher purpose. And there\u2019s character, and there\u2019s craftsmanship.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeauty is important to me, and without sounding pretentious, this is our art, and I think good art sort of immerses you and helps you forget and makes you feel less alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooklyn-based Post is the same design firm CH used to reinvent the Lafayette.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe approached the Baby Grand as a deliberate departure from the casual, beachy aesthetic typical of Southern California hospitality,\u201d said Leigh Salem, partner at Post Company. \u201cFrom mosaic floors and mirrored walls to iridescent clamshell beds, each element contributes to a rich, cohesive world that feels assembled over time. The design is theatrical, but never overly choreographed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guest rooms feature animal-print stools, marble tables, and a mix of vintage artwork and sculpture, but it\u2019s the bathrooms that CH says received even more attention. They occupy nearly half of each room\u2019s square footage and are designed with intricate mosaic tile flooring that leads to fluted marble wash consoles, glass-enclosed shower rooms and clawfoot soaking tubs. Each is accented with wallpaper, marble, jewel-toned mirrors, and custom light fixtures.<\/p>\n
The Baby Grand \u2014 like the Lafayette \u2014 is also meant to attract people who have no intention of staying overnight. Its signature dining venue, Night Hawk, is an entirely outdoor Greek open-fire restaurant that mimics the exterior landscape via rock-formed booths and banquettes. A special wood-fueled grill and oven will be used to cook the food over open flames. Among the menu selections are an assortment of skewers, lobster squid ink linguini, and a \u201cgrand\u201d souvlaki platter.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SUT-L-BABY-GRAND-0510-003.jpg\")
The bathroom of each guest room features mosaic tiling and clawfoot soaking tubs finished with bold wallpaper. (Kristian Carreon \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Fallen Empire is the name of the hotel\u2019s hidden Champagne and oyster bar, ornately decorated with mirrored walls, solid brass booths upholstered in red mohair with built-in Champagne buckets. Along one of the walls, a painted bar inspired by \u201cThe Raft of the Medusa\u201d will focus on both cocktails and raw seafood selections, such as Kumamoto oysters, scallop crudos and uni tartares, all displayed on heaped ice. The Champagne selection will include grower Champagnes, rare vintages and Champagne cocktails.<\/p>\n
And in the lobby, a back-bar provides coffee during the day and cocktails in the evening.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SUT-L-BABY-GRAND-0510-016.jpg\")
The sign of the Baby Grand hotel at Coronado. (Kristian Carreon \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n