Alta Mira – A New View
By Mary Swift-Swan
Is it possible to reinvent one’s self? It
is for Tom Cole, the new General Manager of the Alta Mira
Hotel of Sausalito. When Tom turned 40 he left a 20-year
corporate management career by answering an ad to become the
manager of a small boutique bed and breakfast in Santa Cruz.
Quickly learning the trade, he expanded his range and
expertise over the next few years, changing to a few larger
properties before finally joining Inns by the Sea, ten
properties located up and down the California coast. Queried
by a customer in Fall 2003, he met with the new owner of the
Alta Mira Hotel, Mike Blatt. Tom knew and had stayed at the
Casa Madrona Hotel on several occasions, while enjoying
Sausalito. After seeing the Alta Mira property, he was
inspired to guide the reinvention of the Alta Mira Hotel.
The once grand 35-room Alta Mira Hotel and
public dining establishment had a long history as a
restaurant that served Sunday Brunch with a great view and a
bar that concocted a delicious Ramos Fizz. “Time, neglect
and complacency about the view, wore down the Grand Lady
over the last 10-15 years. She was in dire need of a new
dress, earrings and shoes,” said Tom. “A major remodel took
place in January and February of 2004 giving her just that.
We removed the tunnel-like entry canopy, took off the blinds
from the view windows, reworked the reception area to make
it more welcoming and less formal. Most of the work has been
non-structural. It has been primarily redecorating.”
Alta Mira has reopened as a 22-room Bed
and Breakfast Inn with guest only and private event dining.
The main building is finished with new paint, new
furnishings, updated features, and the bar area is now
furnished as a front room. It is where Alta Mira hosts their
continental breakfast or evening wine and cheese. It is
available to B&B guests to relax and watch the sailboats
slide by while enjoying the view. The new casual elegance
feels like a 1930s British Colonial Inn with Tommy Bahama
touches.
The kitchen is still under renovation. It is temporarily
being used as a catering kitchen by Il Fornaio, which
provide sumptuous meals for birthdays, weddings, banquets,
receptions, and corporate events. The newly reopened Alta
Mira currently has 105 events booked, up to the end of
November. The kitchen remodel will soon be complete, by the
end of May or early June, allowing the main deck to reopen
for public seating for Sunday Brunch. Watch for a Famous
Ramos Fizz contest to be held in the near future.
