Design & Construction Management and Budgeting, Miraval Resort

Principal – Owner, KLI Companies

Client: Miraval Tucson, Catalina, AZ

2006

Miraval is a renowned destination spa in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains outside Tucson, Arizona.  I joined Miraval in 2006 to work on a planned expansion and major renovation of their facilities.  They had spent several years and a significant amount of money developing a new project master-plan and undertaking a major guestroom renovation.  However due to a change in property ownership and dissatisfaction with the cost of the proposed re-design the new ownership wanted fresh talent and a new approach to the project.  My assignment was to I oversaw the daily activities of master-planning, design and budgeting for new private residences, new guestrooms, a renovated and expanded spa, new administration offices and the entitlement processing of a new private waste-water utility system.  I reported to the new Director of Development for Miraval.   We developed a completely new master-plan and, working with new architects and designers, developed new plans for for-sale residential units, new guestrooms, new administrative office facilities and a completely new spa concept.  Prior to my leaving we constructed a world-class outdoor spa treatment rooms compound using tents manufactured in South Africa that we air-conditioned and provided hot and cold running water to and completed a complete hard-scape and soft-scape renovation of the guestroom courtyards.   The compound opened just in time to host Oprah Winfrey.  We also started construction on the new administrative office building.   Unfortunately Miraval would not allow me to work for other clients while I was working on their project so I was forced to resign at the end of March 2007.   After I left Miraval completed a portion of the for-sale residential project and new guestrooms but placed the bulk of the project on hold.