The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, April 12, 2012 … Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading US-based independent hospitality management company, has announced that The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, located near San Diego, has joined the company’s portfolio of Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels.  Burt Cabañas, chairman and CEO, made the announcement.

“I am delighted to welcome The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe into the Benchmark Hospitality family of luxury properties,” said Mr. Cabañas.  “This is our first San Diego-area hotel, which beautifully complements our properties in Northern California, including Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz, and our Personal Luxury Resort, Bardessono in Napa Valley.”

John Kratzer, chairman and CEO of JMI Realty, the property’s new owner said, “We are very pleased that the Royce family, which has for 50 years been an important part of the legacy of The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, felt comfortable with us as the next stewards of this beloved community asset.  With the transfer of ownership today, The Inn became one of our company’s cherished jewels, as it has been for the community of Rancho Santa Fe for nearly a century.”    Mr. Kratzer concluded with, “As many of our team live in Rancho Santa Fe, we uniquely understand the importance of this cherished Inn to our community, and are committed with Benchmark’s help to continue the Family’s legacy.”

The Spanish-style Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, set on 21 acres of golden foothills just a half hour north of San Diego, exemplifies the spirit and ambiance of "Old California."   Located in Rancho Santa Fe near the Pacific coast, the exquisite acreage is traversed with bridle trails and winding pathways, and the original Inn dates to 1922.  Through the years The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe has hosted Presidents, Royalty and Hollywood's Elite.

Situated within a magnificent grove of fragrant eucalyptus trees and luxuriating in the Southern California sun and climate, The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe has always been a place where mind, body and spirit peacefully coexist.  This will be especially so at the property's revitalized Spa, which will be part of a $12 Million Restoration of all aspects of the Inn.  In addition to the Spa, the restoration will include a substantial upgrade of many of the unique guestrooms and cottages that provide the resort with so much of its character, as well as meeting and event facilities.  Delawie Interiors, the San Diego design firm in existence for over a half a century, and MKA Inc. Architecture & Planning of San Diego have been engaged for the restoration.  Both firms are well established in the local market, and offer an important understanding and appreciation of the legacy of The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe.

The Inn is situated at the heart of the Village of Rancho Santa Fe, known locally as "The Ranch" and frequently referred to as "the most desirable place to live in America."  Within the Village are charming boutiques, galleries and quaint antique stores, as well as superb dining at award-winning restaurants.  Just 30 minutes south is San Diego, which offers a variety of theater and nightlife, thoroughbred racing at the fabled Del Mar racetrack, championship golf at the legendary Torrey Pines, and pristine beaches just ten minutes away.  If that isn't enough, the popular San Diego Zoo beckons, as does historic Old Town San Diego, Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and the world-famous bridge to Coronado Island.

The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe
The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe was originally designed to suggest a sprawling hacienda, with 84 deluxe guestrooms and 21 charming guest cottages crowned with Spanish-tiled roofs.  All of The Inn’s guestrooms include a luxurious king or queen-sized bed and many offer the romance of wood-burning fireplaces.

Rancho Cuisine, served in the Innfusion Restaurant at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, celebrates the fusion of culinary skill with the harvests of Southern California's gardens, fields and seas.  The Inn Bar is ideally situated in the historic, romantic Spanish courtyard of The Inn and is the perfect rendezvous before or after dinner.

The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe's meeting and event facilities include four distinctive conference and banquet rooms, six cottage living rooms and private outdoor settings ideal for business meetings, group dining and social gatherings.  Whether it's a corporate retreat, an important meeting, a glittering social event, or the wedding of a lifetime, 90 years of service and culinary excellence can be counted on for an exceptional experience superbly executed and long remembered.

The History of The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe
The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe traces its roots to Rancho San Dieguto, an 8,824-acre land grant deeded by Spain in 1840 to Juan Maria Osuna, the first mayor of Pueblo de San Diego. The Osuna's family’s earliest adobe building, today fully restored, overlooks the scenic San Dieguito River Valley.

In 1906, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad purchased the land to cultivate eucalyptus trees for converting into railway ties. When the wood proved too soft, the railroad formed the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company to develop the property.  To give the dream shape, the Land Company retained the San Diego architectural firm of Requa and Jackson in 1922. A gifted young architect named Lilian Rice oversaw the initiative.

The first building, a guesthouse in the Spanish Revival Style was called La Morada, "the house of many rooms." Originally intended to provide accommodations to prospective property owners and later to become a clubhouse, La Morada was transferred to private ownership in 1940 and renamed The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe.

From 1922 until her death in 1938, Lilian Rice continued to transform the Village of Rancho Santa Fe, the community homes and The Inn into marvels of architecture and livability. She believed that the nation's communities are important entries in the book of our history and our art.  Many of her designs have found their way onto the National Register of Historic Buildings.

As Lilian said, "I have found real joy at Rancho Santa Fe.”  It is The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe’s goal that all guests experience the same.

To learn more about The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, for reservations or to meet with the property’s event planners, call (858) 756-1131 or visit www.theinnatrsf.com.

About JMI Realty
JMI Realty is a vertically integrated hospitality investment company with deep acquisition, development, construction and repositioning expertise.  Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with a satellite office in San Diego, California, the firm is headed by John Kratzer and is perhaps best known for its role as the master developer of the ballpark district in downtown San Diego.  The firm recently began a significant joint venture relationship with Siguler Guff out of New York.  For additional information please visit 
www.jmirealty.com.

About Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels^SM
Personal Luxury Resorts & HotelsSM represents a hand-picked group of 13 luxurious properties, in spectacular U.S. destinations coast to coast and off shore.  Each hotel and resort delivers personal luxury in a spirit true to its own distinctive locale, yet in unison with the collection’s shared mission. A division of Benchmark Hospitality International, for 30 years a leading US-based hospitality management company, and led by a proven and seasoned team of award-winning luxury hospitality professionals, Personal Luxury Resorts & HotelsSM is the preferred choice of guests who yearn for transformation over accommodation, customization over conformity, and inspiration over predictability.  With Personal Luxury Resorts & HotelsSM, luxury is always personal.

About Benchmark Hospitality International
Benchmark Hospitality International is a leader in the management and marketing of resorts, conference centers, hotels, and Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels^SM.  The independent company, launched in 1980, is a worldwide organization operating properties in major metropolitan and resort destinations.  Benchmark's international headquarters is located in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston. Benchmark Hospitality is also a founding member of the International Association of Conference Centers.  The company's eastern regional office is in New Jersey, western regional office is in Washington, with international offices in Tokyo, Japan, and Santiago, Chile. For the location of Benchmark's properties and additional information, visit www.benchmarkhospitality.com.

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