Moonridge Hotel: A Big Bear’s Dream Vacation

When we started working on Moonridge Hotel in Big Bear, it was 2020. While leaving the house and traveling was not in the forefront of most minds, it was for us. Our goal was to design a one-of-a-kind boutique hotel to serve the community in a variety of ways throughout the year. Using the famous Timberline Lodge as our inspiration, we got to work.

Initially, the site came with some challenges. It had a narrow street frontage and slopes down toward a creek and hiking trail in the rear that were to be maintained. There was also an existing restaurant on the site, which had to be included in our parking calculations. This left us with a compact and oddly shaped site that we used to our advantage. The building bends along with the property line and even steps down with the slope to maximize the square footage and respect the height limitations of the city, keeping the building below the tree line.

One of the more unique aspects of the design came early on with the inclusion of several loft guestrooms on the upper level. Sitting among the tree canopies, these rooms would allow for families or other larger groups to stay in a single space while not ballooning the room count beyond what was feasible for the site. Toward the front of the property we placed the lobby, which features a double height lounging space with a rustic fireplace and chimney. Nearby is a bike and ski storage room for year-round use by guests. Above all this sits a rooftop spa deck with views of the town and mountains beyond.

For the exteriors, we strove to craft a modern mountain aesthetic as an update to the rustic architecture often seen in these settings. We began with a heavy stone and concrete base to anchor the building to the site. Above this, we used dark, vertical metal siding paired with a warm, wood-like ceramic tile to better fair against the harsh mountain climate, and included some wood accents throughout including roof kickers, brackets, and posts.

In the end, after several years of collaborative work with the city, client, and our all-star squad of consultants, the project received unanimous approval at the Planning Commission and we are striving to begin construction later this year. We hope the project becomes a landmark within the community and a mainstay for visitors, whether they are staying for the slopes, the trails, the lake, or anything else throughout the year.