Premier Hospitality

Headlands Coastal Lodge

Headlands
Written by Roma Publications

Headlands – A ‘first’ for Oregon

After  two  decades  of  planning  and  more  than  a  year  of  construction,  the breathtaking Headlands  Coastal  Lodge  &  Spa – the  first  luxury  hotel  on the beautiful north coast in Pacific City, Oregon – has opened its doors.

The lodge celebrates hospitality, Oregon-style, offering visitors luxury amenities.

The 33‐room lodge, with 18 adjacent cottages, features Meridian, an ocean-to-table restaurant and bar; Tidepools with a full menu of spa treatments; and an innovative indoor and outdoor wellness programme.

At Headlands, guests are invited to ‘stay in’ and relax in the comfort of the lodge, and ‘head out’ to explore the rugged nature just outside.

“From the first moment we looked at the property, we knew it would be an amazing challenge to design something worthy of the spectacular site,” said Mary Jones, founding partner at Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa.

She and husband and business partner, Jeff Schons, moved to Pacific City in 1990, intending to stay the winter, but fell in love with the small coastal town and never left.

“We spent 20 years designing and redesigning the lodge in order to best take advantage of the incredible views of Cape Kiwanda and Haystack Rock, and the proximity to amazing tidepools and the dune.  We wanted to make sure the design fits into the natural landscape, which meant using materials like cedar shingles and natural stone.”

Designed by Scott l Edwards Architecture (Portland, Ore.), and constructed by O’Brien & Company, the oceanfront lodge features interior design by EDG (Bay Area, Calif.), landscaping by Coyote Gardens (Tillamook County, Ore.) and is managed by Kiwanda Hospitality Group (Pacific City, Ore.).

Guests are welcomed to the lodge in the grand lobby with a wood-burning fireplace and luxurious leather sofa.

Headlands

The first floor includes Haystack Hall, guiding guests through Headlands’ offerings with breathtaking views of Haystack Rock, an adventure centre to plan the perfect Pacific City experience, and a European-style bathroom with a living plant wall.

The lodge logo evokes the Semidi Island Aleutian Cackling Geese, which winter every year in the grassy pastures of Nestucca Valley and roost at the cape. The geese motif is seen throughout the lodge, greeting guests at the reception desk, on custom wallpaper and the in-room service buttons.

All of the guest rooms at the lodge are oceanfront, and have views of the Pacific Ocean and iconic Haystack Rock, with private balconies to get even closer to the sand, surf and fresh ocean air.

Guests can choose from king or two-queen option rooms, all have pillow-top mattresses and custom Pendleton blankets. Rooms also feature an HD flat-screen TV, mini fridge, Bonavita brewing system with freshly-ground coffee, Bluetooth lantern speaker, in-room safe, in-room iPad, gas fireplace, bath products, linens, towelling and boxer-style hooded robes and custom bike and surfboard racks. Select rooms have cast-iron soaking tubs.

“Within the rooms and throughout the lodge, we wanted to showcase and support the wonderful artisans who are our North Coast and Oregon neighbours,” says General Manager Jennifer Nelson, formerly of the Inn at the 5th in Eugene. “We have beautiful custom cutting boards from Hardenbrook Hardwoods in Redmond, trough sinks from Cement Elegance in Bend and dog beds from Ginger Beds in Portland.

“Work by coastal artists is on view, with original paintings and sculptures by Michael Schlicting, Liisa Rahkonen, John Stahl, Maya Kabat, Norm Eder and Kevin Shluka.”

Headlands is the perfect place for small weddings, groups and corporate meetings and retreats. The two dynamic meeting spaces, Longitude and Latitude, can accommodate up to 32 people, and are outfitted with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment. An accessible, outdoor courtyard joins the rooms.

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, Headlands’ restaurant and bar, Meridian, is located in the main lodge. Customers can savour their food in the stylish ocean view dining room, which seats 40, surrounded by exposed beams, Oregon hardwoods and sky-high windows. The welcoming bar seats an additional 16.

Guests can also enjoy their food and drink fireside in the unique indoor patio with accordion-style windows that let the ocean air in, or take it down at the beach.

Headlands

O’Brien & Company

O’Brien & Company is a design & build specialist, delivering hotels, restaurants, wineries and breweries, as well as commercial and custom residential projects. The company is a second generation contractor and has been working in Oregon since the 1980s.

Past projects for O’Brien & Company include Pelican Shores Hotel and Looking Glass in Lincoln City; Schooner Cove at Cannon Beach; Inn at Nye Beach, Newport; Cousins Country Inn in The Dalles; and Holiday Inns at locations including Astoria and Seaside. In addition, the company has completed a number of schemes for Martin Hospitality, including Surfsand Resort, Stephanie Inn, Wayfarer Restaurant and Public Coast Brewing.

Most recently, O’Brien & Company was appointed as the main contractor for Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa. Working alongside Scott Edwards Architects and EDG for the entire project, O’Brien & Company battled with a number of interesting challenges – including some extreme winter weather – but together they brought this project to a successful completion.

Keeley O’Brien, O’Brien & Company, said:

“We feel extremely proud to have been involved with Headlands – it will be a premier luxury destination on the Oregon Coast for generations to come. It was a personal passion where every detail was deeply examined for the benefit of the guest and we had a lot of influence on how things came together, including the cost and the final outcome.”

Keeley added:

“At O’Brien & Company, we are extremely proud of our team. Our company is made up of 55 hardworking employees dedicated to the partnership we build with our clients on each project. We strive for excellence on every job and we do great work because we believe that’s the only way it should be done.”

About the author

Roma Publications