Kassi Luja
kassiluja.md@gmail.com
Rustic, exposed brick walls, vintage, Gatsby-esque furniture and the sounds of Spanish music.
That, is Granda Hotel & Bistro.
“There’s definitely a boutique, sexy feel to it,” general manager Dennis Severse said of the hotel and bistro that was renovated approximately two years ago. “(It’s) very sort of European, with a little bit of East Coast and San Francisco thrown in there.”
While this is true of how it currently operates, Granada itself has a history dating back to the 1920s.
In the beginning, it was thought to have been a hotel that rented rooms by the hour. Rumor has it the building was a contributor to San Luis Obispo’s brothel business, according to Granada’s website.
“Basically it had women and sort of burlesque-type things going on,” Severse said.
The building eventually went through the hands of different owners, seeing it change from hotel to restaurant.
That restaurant became Granada Bistro.
“It was just a really legit sort of Spanish bistro,” Severse said. “They had paninis and little tapas and things like that.”
Current owner Kimberly Walker entertained the idea of purchasing the building with her three partners when the bistro’s owner at the time faced financial difficulties.
“We all liked the idea of turning the bistro back to its former glory,” Walker said.
Walker and her partners did just that when they purchased the building in April 2011.
They came up with the idea of remodeling it after its ’20s roots and making it a cool, sexy hotel, Severse said.
This renovation cost approximately $5 million, according to Severse.
The current Granada Hotel & Bistro has 17 rooms, a bar, a rooftop lounge featuring seating and an outdoor fireplace, a soon-to-be open spa and rustic accents throughout from wood-flooring to suede furniture.
“(It’s) industrial chic,” Walker said. “That’s kind of what people call that type of design where we’re talking old pieces and giving them new life. We’re taking an antique chair and reupholstering it with new, vibrant fabric.”
And with this new life and renovation comes new customers.
While Granada hasn’t hosted many weddings or special events because it’s still rather new, Severse said many such events are coming up.
“It’s the only boutique hotel that we have in town right now,” Severse said.
Granada strives to be different with its bar that serves cocktails and wine. Behind the counter is bartender Brittany Barnes who has worked at Granda for approximately a month and a half.
“(Granada is) very intimate and kind of classy,” Barnes said. “(It’s) kind of more like a city vibe, too. Not that it’s super busy or anything, but just different than anything else we have in SLO. I just enjoy seeing all of the art in here and all the interior design.”
Some of this interior design includes the inside of a piano displayed on a wall up the staircase as well as a glass tree in the front of the property, crafted from the original tin ceilings in the building — all by the hands of two artists.
“We really believe in taking old pieces and then creating something new and interesting and giving it new life,” Walker said.
Artwork not only graces the walls and the front of the property, but it also comes served on a plate.
On the food side of things is executive chef Spencer Johnston.
“(Johnston) likes to dabble a bit in the science of food,” Severse said. “He does interesting little things like (for) our ice cream and our sorbets he uses liquid nitrogen to make them in house so you get this really intense flavor of the ice cream and the sorbets.”
Severse said Johnston will even go out to farms and pick his own vegetables in order to give customers true farm-to-fork dining.
While Granada has a variety of items on its menu, Severse said the hot ticket as of now is its burger.
“We have tons of great stuff, but the burger people just go crazy over,” he said. “It’s free-range beef that we grind in house, served over a hush-harbor bun with a bacon jelly that (Johnston) does, (and) french fries.”
This burger comes with a ticket price of $16.
“I would say right now our hotel is extremely affordable, comparatively,” Severse said. “We’ve kept our prices very low to introduce ourselves to the public. In our restaurant I would say that we’re just above the medium price range, sort of right in that same area as a Novo or a Luna Red.”
Since the renovation, Walker said business has been great.
“It’s been a really exciting experience,” she said. “Especially to go from such a tiny little bistro.”
Granada Hotel & Bistro is located on Morro Street in downtown San Luis Obispo and is open every day of the week with dinner served Sunday through Thursday until 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m. Granada also serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday.