RANCHO PENASQUITOS, California October 12, 2005 -- Residents around the Doubletree Hotel and Golf Resort said they want the hotel to stay, during a planning meeting Tuesday night.

The neighborhood meeting was called by Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, which is considering renovating the 1970s resort or replacing it with a new development that could include housing, retail stores, an amphitheater or a community center.

The Connecticut-based company teamed up with San Diego-based Windstar Communities, which develops and manages commercial properties, to see whether the 127-acre property is still meeting the needs of the community.

The meeting was the first of three and was for residents who live north of the hotel and south of Camino del Norte. More than 70 people filled the hotel's Riveria Room, at 14455 Penasquitos Drive, and were asked to vote on the various options for replacing the hotel if that were to happen.

Many refused to vote saying the only option was to keep the hotel.

"What you are doing is forcing us to vote on something we don't want because we have no other choice," said a resident who did not want to give her name.

Windstar President Darrell Gary said neighbor feedback is what the hotel owners wanted and is why they called the meeting instead of following the traditional process of creating new land use plans and then asking for community feedback.

"We've been in the business since 1979," he told the residents, "and this is one of the few corporate entities that has cared."

The 174-room hotel has been a fixture on the west side of Interstate 15 north of Carmel Mountain Road for more than 25 years. It was last renovated in 1999.

Windstar said the resort is popular with business people, tourists and nearby residents who book rooms for their out-of-town relatives, dine at the hotel or golf on its 18-hole course.

Gary said the golf course draws fewer people, though, prompting the property's owners to question whether it is meeting the community's needs as part of its regular review.

Residents said the hotel needs better management and marketing, and that they would continue to spend money there, or spend more, if the hotel made some improvements.

"When you live near a golf course, any Realtor will tell you, that's an asset," said one resident at the meeting.

Suggestions for improving business included adding a gourmet restaurant, giving golf discounts to nearby residents and better advertising.

Windstar said residents can still provide feedback on a community idea message line at (866) 744-8077, and that an informational Web site is in the works and it should be up within the month.

The next meeting will be at the hotel at 6 p.m Oct. 19, for residents south of Diablo Way, east of Penasquitos Drive and north of Carmel Mt. Road.

The last meeting will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 9, for residents west or southwest of Penasquitos Drive, west of Interstate 15 and north of Ted Williams Parkway.

For other information, officials are asking people to leave a message on the community line.

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