Omni La Costa Resort and Spa

Last updated
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Omni La Costa Resort and Spa
Location Carlsbad, California, USA
Owner Omni Hotels & Resorts
Capacity 2,100 (tennis)
OpenedJuly 10, 1965
Tenants
San Diego Aviators (WTT)
(2015–2019)
World TeamTennis Finals
(2017)

The Omni La Costa Resort & Spa is a luxury destination resort hotel in Carlsbad, California. It opened in 1965. The resort is known for its golf courses; it commonly hosts professional golf and tennis tournaments. Tournaments at La Costa were hosted starting in the late 1960s, including many PGA Tour events and tennis events such as the Southern California Open. Omni La Costa Resort & Spa is a member of Historic Hotels of America and has hosted the La Costa Film Festival. It is owned by Omni Hotels & Resorts, based out of Dallas, Texas.

Contents

History

The resort was founded in the early 1960s when a real estate developer, Irwin Molasky, from Las Vegas discovered an equestrian ranch in the coastal foothills of Southern California. [1] [2] Originally conceived as a residential resort offering activities and instruction for all ages, the resort opened on July 10, 1965 with 40 units available to guests for $22 per night which included green fees, as well as access to tennis, horse stables and the pool. [3]

Professional golf

La Costa served as a home to two notable PGA Tour events. For 30 years, the resort hosted the Mercedes Championships (originally called the Tournament of Champions), from 1969 to 1998. That event left for Maui, Hawaii, when La Costa was selected to host the inaugural WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 1999. It hosted that event for seven of eight years (the 2001 event was played in Australia), until it moved to Arizona in 2007. In 2010 and 2012, the resort hosted the Kia Classic, an LPGA tour event with an estimated attendance of 43,000 in 2010.

Penthouse article lawsuit

In March 1975, Penthouse published an article headlined "La Costa: The Hundred Million-Dollar Resort with Criminal Clientele," written by Jeff Gerth and Lowell Bergman. The article indicated that the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad was developed by Mervyn Adelson and Irwin Molasky using loans from the Teamsters Pension Fund and that the resort was a playground for organized crime figures. The owners, along with two officials of the resort, Morris B. "Moe" Dalitz and Allard Roen, filed a libel lawsuit for $522 million against the magazine and the writers. In 1982, a jury absolved the magazine of any liability against the lawsuit from the owners. The plaintiffs appealed, but before a new trial could begin, the two sides settled in December 1985. [4] [5]

Penthouse issued a statement that they did not mean to imply that Adelson and Molaskey were members of organized crime. In turn, the plaintiffs issued a statement lauding Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione and his magazine for their "personal and professional awards." Total litigation costs were estimated to exceed $20 million. [6] [7] According to the San Diego Reader, Adelson finally admitted to mob ties in an interview published in the March 2013 issue of Vanity Fair magazine. [8] [9]

Connection to other controversies

On May 8, 2007, WXYZ-TV in Detroit, Michigan, reported that now convicted and deposed mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick used $8,600 from a fund created for voter education, economic empowerment, and crime prevention to take his family and a babysitter on a week-long vacation to the La Costa Resort and Spa. [10] Tax and accounting experts found Kilpatrick's use of the fund also violated IRS regulations.

Ownership timeline

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlsbad, California</span> City in California, United States

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<i>Penthouse</i> (magazine) Erotic magazine

Penthouse is a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione and published by Los Angeles–based Penthouse World Media, LLC. It combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictures of women that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore pornographic pictures of women.

Morris Barney Dalitz was an American gangster, businessman, casino owner, and philanthropist. He was one of the major figures who shaped Las Vegas in the 20th century. He was often referred to as "Mr. Las Vegas".

Irwin Molasky was an American real estate developer and philanthropist from Las Vegas, Nevada. He was the Chairman of The Molasky Group of Companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Omni Homestead Resort</span> United States historic place

The Omni Homestead Resort is a luxury resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, United States, in the middle of the Allegheny Mountains. The area has the largest hot springs in the commonwealth, and the resort is also known for its championship golf courses, which have hosted several national tournaments. The resort also includes an alpine ski resort; founded in 1959, it is the oldest in Virginia. The resort has been designated a National Historic Landmark; it has a history extending more than two and a half centuries. The Omni Homestead Resort is a member of Historic Hotels of America the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The 2006 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship was a golf tournament that was played from February 22–26, 2006 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. It was the eighth WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the first of four World Golf Championships events held in 2006. It was the final time the event would be hosted at La Costa.

The 2005 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship was a golf tournament that was played from February 24–27, 2005 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. It was the seventh WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the first of four World Golf Championships events held in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amelia Island Plantation</span> Resort in Amelia Island, Florida

Omni Amelia Island Resort is a luxury resort community located on Amelia Island, Florida, the westernmost barrier island on the Atlantic Ocean in the U.S. The resort's tennis facility hosted the Bausch & Lomb Championships, a major Women's Tennis Association tournament, for 20 years. The 402-room hotel on the property is now part of Omni Hotels & Resorts.

The JTBC Classic was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour, held in Carlsbad, California. The tournament was held at the Aviara Golf Club.

The 2004 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship was a golf tournament that was played from February 25–29, 2004 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. It was the sixth WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the first of four World Golf Championships events held in 2004.

The 2003 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship was a golf tournament that was played from February 26 to March 2, 2003 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. It was the fifth WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the first of four World Golf Championships events held in 2003.

The 2002 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship was a golf tournament that was played from February 20–24, 2002 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. It was the fourth WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the first of four World Golf Championships events held in 2002.

The 2000 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship was a golf tournament that was played from February 23–27, 2000 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. It was the second WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship and the first of four World Golf Championships events held in 2000.

The 1999 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship was a golf tournament that was played from February 24–28, 1999 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. It was the first WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship and the first of three World Golf Championships events held in 1999.

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Allard Roen was an American businessman in the hospitality industry. He was the Managing Director of the Desert Inn and the Stardust Resort and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. He was a co-founder of the Sunrise Hospital, The Boulevard Mall and the Las Vegas Country Club. Later, he was a co-founder and the on-site Manager of the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.

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The La Costa Film Festival (LCFF), founded in 2013, is an annual four-day film festival hosted at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. The film festival showcases an array of full-feature and short films, galas, and annually honors renowned actors with the Legacy Award who have significantly contributed to film, arts, and the community. Previous Legacy Award recipients include Andy Garcia (2013), and Ed Harris (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merv Adelson</span> American TV producer (1929–2015)

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The 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship will be contested May 17–22 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. It will be the 42nd annual tournament to establish the national champions of the 2024 season in NCAA Division I women's collegiate golf. The tournament will be hosted by the University of Texas. There are both team and individual championships.

The 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship was a golf tournament contested May 24–29 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. It was the 85th NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship and included both team and individual championships.

References

  1. ↑ "Hotel History in Carlsbad, California | Omni La Costa Resort | Historic Hotels of America". Historic Hotels Worldwide. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  2. ↑ Goldstein, Michael. "Hollywood Haven Omni La Costa Reinvents Itself". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  3. ↑ "History by the Decades at Omni la Costa Resort & Spa".
  4. ↑ Acuna, Armando (1985-12-21). "Each Side to Pay Own Costs : Penthouse, La Costa Settle 10-Year Suit Out of Court". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  5. ↑ Acuna, Armando (1985-12-21). "Penthouse, Resort End Legal Battle in a Draw". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  6. ↑ Court Revives La Costa Spa's Penthouse Suit https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-23-me-8091-story.html
  7. ↑ Penthouse, Resort End Legal Battle in a Draw https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-12-21-me-3043-story.html
  8. ↑ "La Costa's Merv Adelson admits mob ties." The San Diego Reader, January 31, 2013
  9. ↑ "The Beautiful and the Damned" Vanity Fair magazine, March 2013
  10. ↑ "Wilson Investigates Mayor's Expenses." WXYZ.com. 2007-05-10
  11. ↑ KSL Buys La Costa Resort & Spa
  12. ↑ Private equity firm buys La Costa
  13. ↑ "La Costa Resort Purchased by Omni".

33°05′32.16″N117°16′01.33″W / 33.0922667°N 117.2670361°W / 33.0922667; -117.2670361

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