The long-awaited opening of the Breakers Hotel is slated for next fall—and the property now has a new operator behind the effort.

Officials announced Wednesday evening that Fairmont Hotels and Resorts is adding the building to its portfolio in partnership with the property’s owner, Pacific6 Enterprises. The hotel’s official name is now Fairmont The Breakers, Long Beach.

It was an easy call for executives with the multinational hospitality company ACCOR, which owns Fairmont, who made a recent visit to see the hotel.

“My colleague and I were invited to come down here in February,” ACCOR United States COO Ben Cadwell said. “After that, we looked at each other and said, ‘This is the perfect Fairmont hotel.’”

The property is still in the midst of an extensive renovation process to prepare the building—which was last occupied by an assisted living facility from 1991 to 2015—to host guests.

Most of the 185 units offered will be king-sized rooms, but there will also be 26 suites for guests.

Several existing features from the original concept, like the Sky Room and the rooftop bar, have been renovated, while other amenities, including a pool and a new ground-floor Italian restaurant, have been added to enhance the experience for both guests and locals. A ground-floor spa with treatment rooms will also be open to the general public and offer a membership to about 300 interested patrons.

“It’s the only spa in any hotel in Long Beach,” Pacific6 Enterprises Vice President of Real Estate and Hospitality Renato Alesiani said. “I would also say it’s the only luxury spa in the entire city.”

Designated as a historic landmark in 1989, changes made to the building as part of the renovation process needed to be approved by the Long Beach Cultural Heritage Commission. While some changes—like the addition of an elevator on the exterior of the building—were necessary for the building to function, the building’s owners have tried to preserve as many historical elements as possible, Alesiani said.

In adding the Long Beach property to its portfolio, Fairmont continues to strengthen its presence in California. The historic building joins the recently reimagined Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, coastal Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica and the brand’s original flagship hotel Fairmont San Francisco.

“It’s an unrivaled collection of properties that are luxury hotels, which are authentically local, and at the heart of their community,” Cadwell said of Fairmont’s California selection. “The Breakers is going to be a wonderful addition to that collection.”

Local officials are also pleased with the news.

“This is one of the most beautiful buildings in the entire city,” Mayor Robert Garcia said during Wednesday’s announcement event. “The work that is happening here is really quite incredible. This is going to be a very special moment for the city of Long Beach.”

Steve Goodling, president and CEO of the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the news will be a boon for the city.

“Previously, certain conventions were not able to choose our destination because we were unable to offer a luxury boutique hotel,” Goodling said in a statement. “Fairmont’s presence in Long Beach allows us to grow both our convention and pleasure travel markets.”

The construction process is beginning to wind down, according to Alesiani, with work on the building’s infrastructure, including drywall, electricity and plumbing, remaining. Model rooms are expected to be ready by the end of this year, and the opening of the hotel itself is expected in October 2023.

Editor’s note: Pacific6 is the parent company of Pacific Community Media, which owns the Long Beach Business Journal and Long Beach Post. You can read more about the Post and Business Journal ownership here.