Dec. 15, 2002 - Big changes are in store for El Encanto Hotel and Garden Villas, the romantic hideaway nestled in the foothills overlooking Santa Barbara and the ocean. 

Owner Eric Friden is preparing to undertake a $10 million-plus restoration of the property's historic buildings and lush gardens. Mr. Friden, who has had a love affair with the property since buying it in 1977, said his goal is restoring El Encanto's original grandeur. 

His Santa Barbara-based FHC Hotel Management Co. has been working hard the past two years on these plans. Mr. Friden said the team has worked with the city, neighbors and historical consultants and architects in planning the extensive renovation; he has taken neighbors through the hotel to explain his plans. 

Mr. Friden's team has submitted a master plan to the city planning department's preliminary review team. The project needs to secure approval from the city's Historic Landmarks Commission, then the Planning Commission. Construction could begin next year and last into 2005. 

"Historic preservation is our goal," Mr. Friden said. "We want people to have the experience of stepping back in time to the '20s and '30s. The property needs to be restored. I see El Encanto becoming a five-star hotel." 

The project consists of: 

-- Rehabilitation of all 84 existing hotel cottages and the entire main building, including the dining room and cocktail lounge. 

-- Relocating three historic cottages from the parking lot near the front of the hotel to a garden setting. That area is where the tennis court and a second parking lot are presently situated. 

-- Eliminating the tennis court and portions of the east parking lot and replacing them with the three relocated cottages and five new cottages. These would be arranged around a garden with walking paths. 

The proposed villas are all one story except for one, which is two stories. All have a Spanish Colonial design and will be spacious, with oak-burning fireplaces and private patios. 

-- Consolidating the parking spaces from the east parking lot to the west lot. The goal is reducing traffic from Alvarado Street to Mission Ridge Road. The lot would be shielded from the streets by landscaping. 

-- Creating a spa/fitness center in the main building, below the deck. 

-- Restoring the landscaping and grounds. 

-- Enhancing the nonhistorical buildings constructed in the 1970s to make them compatible with the historic character of the hotel and the surrounding neighborhood, which includes the nearby Rivera Park. 

The hotel opened in 1918 and more cottages were built over time. 

The clusters of cottages and villas scattered throughout the grounds represent two styles of early Santa Barbara architecture, the California Craftsman Cottage and the Spanish Colonial Revival. 

Each cottage and villa is uniquely decorated. 

Helping Mr. Friden to realize this dream is Kerman Beriker, an experienced hotelier who joined El Encanto's management team about six months ago as vice president/general manager. 

Mr. Beriker formerly was the general manager of the Beverly Hills Hotel for nine years and managed its $150 million renovation, raising its level to five stars. 

Prior to that, he was general manager of the Bel Air Hotel and supervised its repositioning to a five-star hotel. 

"This property is special and it has so much potential," Mr. Beriker said. "Our goal is really to make the hotel even better, to give the guests even more value." 

The project will be done in four phases, or quadrants on the 10-acre property, he said. That is to minimize disruptions for guests and neighbors. 

The final phase will be the main building. 

El Encanto will be in continuous operation throughout the restoration. 

"This is not going to be a high-intensity construction project," said John Tynan, whose firm will provide oversight. 

"It will be done carefully, gradually. Eric knows that it is the most romantic hotel in Santa Barbara and he is very committed to make El Encanto the jewel it is." 

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(c) 2002, Santa Barbara News-Press, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.