‘Something new happening to Chula Vista’ with opening of Gaylord Pacific Resort on bayfront

Chula Vista Mayor John McCann current and former city functionaries and more take part in the ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the Gaylord Pacific Hotel Photo by Tessa Balc Times of San Diego The ribbon was officially cut at the Gaylord Pacific Resort Convention Center in Chula Vista Thursday opening one of the largest public-private ventures the city has seen This is Chula Vista s decade commented Mayor John McCann Despite plenty of years of planning and advance McCann disclosed that Chula Vista s bayfront often was overlooked as a place worthy of expenditure But not by everyone The Port of San Diego Wells Fargo and multiple other partners eventually joined the effort to help bring the hotel to life The project has spanned decades with various mayors of the city having had a hand in it The Gaylord Pacific lobby complete with conversation pits surrounded by water Photo by Tessa Balc Times of San Diego Former Mayor Mary Salas looks upon the resort with pride as she imagines the wonder her family would feel at seeing a plot of land once crowded with power lines and little else now filled by a massive hotel and attractions for the society She also declared she was proud of the fact that construction on the site was performed by our union brothers who provided quality trained labor Ultimately billion poured into the project which can be seen driving south along Interstate just as other venerable San Diego Bay and Mission Bay resorts can be viewed from surrounding highways The grounds are extravagant with different dining options guest rooms and the waterpark which takes up over acres Upon entry to Gaylord Pacific it s complicated to know what to look at first Maybe the plethora of palm trees scattered throughout the lobby Or the pools that flow around conversation-pit seating Possibly the rainfall feature or the deck behind the bar which overlooks a smaller-scale waterpark with a selection of slides A large part of the project according to all those who spoke before the ribbon cutting was to bring economic opportunity to Chula Vista and the South Bay Gabriella an employee at the resort preferred not to give her last name but the Chula Vista native went to Bayfront Charter High School just down the street from Gaylord Pacific I think it shows something new is happening to Chula Vista she announced We haven t had something this big