The Willow Glen Resident Photograph by Skye Dunlap Getting Pampered: Bobbie Martin receives a facial at La Concha Spa, which plans to expand into a bed and breakfast. La Concha Spa makes plans for a bed and breakfast inn New business would fill the need for more lodging in Willow Glen By Michelle Ku Willow Glen is a bedless area, but it won't be for long if Gloria Maciel has her way. Maciel, owner of La Concha Spa Salon at 1042 Lincoln Ave., wants to expand her business by tapping into the lack of a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast in the area "There aren't any [lodgings] around here," Maciel said. "There's nothing when people have family visiting them. The homes here in Willow Glen are small; they don't have extra room for their guests. There's nothing worth putting [guests] in." To help fill that need, Maciel wants to develop La Concha Inn and Spa, a bed and breakfast where guests could spend a leisurely day or weekend in the heart of the Glen. Maciel submitted the latest plans for her proposed two-story inn on Oct. 30. The plans are set to go before the Planning Commission in December. "I have been wanting to do something like this. It will bring in business and it will complement my store. This would actually bring in even more revenue to the businesses in Willow Glen," Maciel said. "Originally I thought Santa Cruz or Gilroy, but I think this area will be a perfect area to start. People go to Calistoga. Why should they go over there when I can create everything here instead of going far away?" Even though Willow Glen does not currently have a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast in the area, Demitri Rizos, business manager of the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association, said he often fields phone calls from people inquiring about bed and breakfasts in the area. When Peter Hurd, a Willow Glen resident for 26 years, has friends or family visiting, he accommodates them by having them stay at his home or in a hotel on Camden Avenue. But the idea of having his friends or family stay in a neighborhood bed and breakfast appeals to him. "I would certainly consider [having friends stay at the bed and breakfast] if the price was right. I wouldn't be interested in investing in a high-end resort, but if it was reasonable, if you live in Willow Glen and can get a family rate and they can accommodate them, sure," Hurd said. Though she's still in the early planning stages of the project, Maciel hopes to have La Concha Inn and Spa open a year from now. The bed and breakfast will be located at 1030 Lincoln Ave., two doors down from the present location of La Concha Spa. The plans submitted last week are a scaled-down version of the ones Maciel originally drafted. The original plans called for a three-story building, but Planning Department staff indicated they would approve only a two-story building, not three. "I submitted for three floors, and [the city] wanted only two. It's best to go with the flow then," Maciel said. Plans include 12 bedrooms on the second floor and the spa on the first floor. There will also be a gift shop. Maciel is considering a tearoom in the breakfast area. What will set La Concha Inn and Spa apart from other bed and breakfasts will be the on-site spa and salon, Maciel said. Patrons will be able to obtain various services, including massages, facials, manicures, pedicures and mineral and mud baths. Maciel also plans on offering wine tours. Instead of the traditional wine-tasting stops in Napa Valley, Maciel wants to steer people to wineries in Gilroy and Santa Cruz. Maciel has been wanting to create a bed and breakfast for the last two years, but the plans were not set into motion until she saw that the property at 1030 Lincoln Ave. was for sale. She purchased the property in June with the contingency that she would develop a bed and breakfast on the site. "I did a preliminary plan with the city. In that preliminary plan, I asked if it was feasible to build a bed and breakfast. ... They said yes, it was feasible, and that's when I started," Maciel said. La Concha Inn and Spa will target tourists, people on business trips, and current clients of La Concha Spa who come from out of town. Those customers, Maciel said, "often call and ask if I have accommodations. At this point, I don't." The bed and breakfast will probably have transportation available for its guests, Maciel said. Having seen the plans for the bed and breakfast, Rizos is excited about it. "It's beautiful and very tasteful. I think it will fit right in on the Avenue. It will be a nice addition and what we'd like to see is development moving outside of Lincoln Avenue," Rizos said. [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, November 4, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.