CARMEL - In Monterey County, La Playa Hotel is gearing up to re-open its doors but the controversy surrounding it still hasn't gone away.
That's because not all of the 100 former employees who lost their job at the hands of the new owners, got their job back with the hotel.
They plan to picket on Friday.
The new owner said the company invited all employees to apply and did hire some of them back.
Meanwhile, the hotel has a fresh new look, something the new owners said is sure to bring more to Carmel.
"The decor, of course, is very different," said Mary Crowe, general manager for La Playa Hotel. "All the walls are this beautiful, bright light color. Previously the hotel was a dark salmon color, so it's a very different look and feel."
On Wednesday, Central Coast News got an exclusive look before the grand opening in two weeks.
The 75-room, four-story family-owned hotel now offers new plumbing, electrical and state-of-the art soundproofing.
"In today's market, you really have to have state-of-the art wireless capabilities to be able to welcome mid-week groups. Mid-week occupancy is just vital to the health of the hotel," Crowe said.
The building was completely re-cabled to allow people to have high-speed wireless internet access on their computers.
For corporate groups that have more sophisticated needs, the hotel now has the infrastructure to host them.
The Carmel Chamber of Commerce said a third of the city's revenue comes from its 966 rooms.
It said there has already been an increase in hotel occupancy in the last five months, and with La Playa back in action that number is sure to go up.
"Coming here you find something you won't find anywhere else," said Monta Potter, chief executive officer for the Carmel Chamber of Commerce.
La Playa Hotel is slowly taking guests, but won't officially open until Aug. 1.
In Monterey county, tourism is a $2 billion industry.
And in Santa Cruz county, it's a $513 million industry.
