As a sale for Bayview Hotel falls through, historic Aptos property is back on the market

Aptos’ historic Bayview Hotel is still on the market following a failure to close a sale that was in escrow as recently as November. While the family that currently owns the nearly 150-year-old hotel looks for another path toward a sale, there is no prospective buyer lined up at this time.

The 14-room, 10,000-square-foot hotel has been owned by Cristina Locke, 70, for over 20 years, since she and her now-deceased husband, Giovanni Guerisoli, purchased the property in 2002. Guerisoli opened an Italian restaurant in the hotel named Ristorante Barolo, which was featured on a 2012 episode of Food Network’s “Restaurant Impossible.” The property has not been a functioning hotel or restaurant since Guerisoli’s death in 2017, as Locke has seen her health decline in recent years.

Locke’s daughter, Andre’a Hicks, told Lookout in November that Joe Appenrodt — a developer who played a large role in the development of Aptos Village — was heading toward purchasing the property with the goal of bringing it back into business. Appenrodt told Lookout on Monday that his reason for walking away from the property is simple: He did not want to take on that big of a project at this time.

“It’s still a property with a lot of potential, but I had my due diligence period and decided at that time that I did not want to pursue it,” he said.

Hicks told Lookout that the old building would require significant work, including making it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which she said is rather difficult in a building that old. 

“That’s not just like a ramp, either – the building is so old that there’s no elevator,” she said, adding that a remodel would likely involve adding new units, which requires a lot of time and effort. She said that after Appenrodt, another developer was in escrow, too, but that also fell through, due to the high cost of the extensive improvements the property would need.

Hicks said that while she and her family continue seeking a buyer, they are auctioning off some of the remaining pieces of equipment from the restaurant’s old kitchen, which people can view here. She added that she is planning a local auction in the near future, where she will sell off the remainder of the furniture and other hotel items.

Still, the path forward is unclear. Hicks said she floated the idea of a franchise taking over the building, much to the chagrin of some local residents. She added that she just wants to see the hotel to live on and is ready to be done with the arduous process of changing hands.

“I just want it to be over with, especially dealing with the dynamic of cleaning the building out and having people walking in and out of it all the time,” she said. “It’s not easy.”

And Appenrodt, while no longer actively pursuing the property, said he hasn’t fully abandoned the idea of taking the place over in the future.

“Like everyone else, I like the property. If things change, I might take another look at it,” he said, adding that there would need to be a “clear path” for all the improvements and additions necessary. “Whether it’s a restaurant or an event place, those things could be cleared up potentially, but it would take a long time.”

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