The Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center opened on the Chula Vista bayfront, welcoming guests to a project intended to reshape tourism and development in the South Bay.
The complex included 1,600 hotel rooms and extensive meeting and convention space. It became the centerpiece of a broader 535-acre bayfront plan shared by the Port of San Diego and the City of Chula Vista.
The ribbon cutting marked the end of one construction phase and the beginning of a larger test: whether the resort would deliver lasting jobs, visitors and momentum for surrounding public and private projects.