Feb. 20–The Irvine Marriott has completed a $5 million first phase of an extensive renovation.
The hotel’s lobby, lounge, pool and other first-floor features are done. Walls were moved and ceilings were raised to make the space feel more open, General Manager Scott McCoy said. Work started in April.
The now nautical-themed first-floor spaces are sleeker and give the hotel a more modern ambience, McCoy said. “It’s not swanky; it’s more sophisticated.”
Outdoor spaces are being relandscaped, and new furniture is on the way, he said.
Next up: a $2 million renovation of the hotel’s meeting rooms, which should be completed by the end of summer. The fitness center will get a $400,000 upgrade this year, and $6 million will be spent on remodeling the hotel’s 485 rooms, slated for work in late 2015.
All the work is part of giving the three-star hotel more of a Southern California vibe, McCoy said.
The 30-year-old hotel, at 18000 Von Karman Ave., was last renovated in 2005.
— Ian Wheeler
On the move
Haskell & White LLP, an accounting, auditing and tax-consulting firm based in Irvine, promoted three of its employees to principals in its tax department: Angela Behrens of Corona del Mar, Ryan Woodhouse of Aliso Viejo, and Matthias Weber of Newport Beach. Also promoted was Ian Martini of Irvine, who is now senior manager in the audit and business advisory services department.
Jamie Slattery joins Spireon, an Irvine developer of technology that tracks company vehicles, as senior vice president of software engineering. He previously worked as product development and operations leader at Digital Insight, where he oversaw 225 engineers.
New ventures
Aliso Viejo chip company QLogic is acquiring a team of about 170 people from Irvine-based Broadcom as part of a $147 million cash deal expected to close this quarter. The agreement would bring a small subset of Broadcom’s Ethernet technologies to the smaller Orange County chip company. QLogic also plans to pay $62 million for licenses to Broadcom’s fibre channel business.
Flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators opened its second Orange County store in Westminster. In addition to flooring, the 9,526- square-foot location also sells materials and tools used for flooring projects. The Virginia-based chain’s 30th California store is at 14741 Goldenwest St.
American Security Bank, a five-branch bank based in Newport Beach, will merge with Citizens Business Bank in the second or third quarter of this year, when a deal between the two businesses’ parent companies is expected to close. Both community banks focus on small- to medium-size businesses. Ontario-based CVB Financial Corp. agreed to pay $57 million in cash to purchase all of the outstanding shares of American Security Bank from America Bancshares Inc.
