The Paséa Hotel & Spa in Huntington Beach, a luxury oceanfront resort that is part of the Meritage Collection, announced the appointment of Kunal Chakrabarti as its new general manager on October 21, 2026. Mr. Chakrabarti will oversee the resort’s daily operations and strategic long-term vision. His responsibilities include ensuring an exceptional guest experience, fostering an engaged and high-performing team, and managing the hotel’s financial performance. He will also be tasked with reinforcing the Paséa Hotel & Spa’s role as a gathering place for both travelers and the Huntington Beach community.
Mr. Chakrabarti brings nearly three decades of experience in luxury hospitality to his new role. His career has included significant leadership positions with prominent brands such as The Ritz-Carlton and Marriott International across Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and the United States. Most recently, he led the operations at The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, where the hotel achieved record revenue and market share while maintaining its Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star rating. His prior experience also includes being part of the pre-opening team for Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico, contributing to that resort and spa’s Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star recognition. Throughout his career, Mr. Chakrabarti has focused on delivering personalized hospitality and empowering teams.
This appointment comes as the Paséa Hotel & Spa enters the final phase of a four-year, $17 million property-wide renovation, which is scheduled for completion in early 2028. Garrett Busch, president of Pacific Hospitality Group, stated that Mr. Chakrabarti’s extensive luxury hospitality experience, operational leadership, and people-first approach made him an excellent fit to guide the hotel through this final transformation phase, building on the experience created over the last 10 years.
The current renovation efforts are part of a larger project, with an initial $5 million investment starting in 2024. This earlier phase saw the introduction of the redeveloped Lōrea restaurant and bar, a refreshed rooftop area known as Treehouse on PCH, and a redesigned oceanfront Ninth Island Pool. Southern California-based design firm Hatch Design Group led these initial updates, which aimed to infuse a fresh coastal aesthetic inspired by Huntington Beach’s natural beauty and surf culture.
The final phase of the renovation, under the direction of Stylo Haus for interior design, will focus on enhancing the resort’s guest rooms, corridors, lobby, spa facilities, and meeting and event spaces. These improvements are designed to build upon the property’s existing blend of relaxed luxury and coastal sophistication, incorporating contemporary design-forward finishes and thoughtful guest-centric upgrades.
Mr. Chakrabarti expressed his leadership philosophy, stating, “Great hospitality starts with great teams.” He emphasized his belief in investing in and empowering people to create a culture where employees feel valued, which in turn reflects positively in every guest interaction. He noted the Paséa’s welcoming and easygoing spirit and conveyed his honor in leading the team into its next chapter, looking forward to working with colleagues and local partners to enhance guest experiences while preserving the hotel’s relaxed coastal character.
His role will involve steering overall hotel performance, guiding department heads, and ensuring that the hotel’s signature service is consistently reflected in every aspect of a guest’s stay. Through mentorship and fostering professional growth, Mr. Chakrabarti aims to cultivate a culture of engagement, enabling employees to deliver intuitive service and build meaningful relationships with guests. The hotel is celebrating its "Hang 10" 10th anniversary alongside these transformative plans.
