Warner Springs Ranch Resort Sold At Auction

The Warner Springs Ranch resort was sold at auction to a San Diego-based hotel management company and will undergo renovations, the buyer announced today.

Pacific Hospitality Group said it will spend $15 million to $18 million to complete the acquisition of the 2,400-acre property in northeastern San Diego County.

The company announced it would spend up to $50 million more to fix up the resort, which went into bankruptcy and closed last year.

The property, which was founded as a working ranch in the mid-1800s and opened as a resort in the 1920s, currently encompasses a 27,000-square-foot main lodge, 250 casita units, a 144-acre golf course and club house, four tennis courts, equestrian facilities, two restaurants, a spa, campgrounds, three swimming pools, a private airport and meeting facilities.

The new owner said it will upgrade the golf course, with an eye toward completion in the spring next year.

Plans also call for a new winery and tasting room, a gym and fitness facility, a beach and tennis club, expanded meeting facilities, cattle and horse grazing, a spa, a cultural center, luxury RV park, hunting and fishing opportunities, and expanded food and beverage options.

The casitas and main lodge will also be upgraded and renovated, PHG announced.

U-T San Diego reported that the auction sale dashed plans by the Pala Band of Mission Indians to purchase the resort, which they say sits on its ancestral lands.

—City New Service