Entrepreneur Leclair Buys Casa Laguna Inn for $2.4M

Ashwill Acquires Fullerton Center; Granite Buys Apartment Complex

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The Casa Laguna Inn, once known as a hideaway to Hollywood stars, is about to get a major face lift.

Former Montreal entrepreneur Francois Leclair, now a resident of Corona del Mar, has purchased the 20-room bed and breakfast inn for $2.4 million.

“He wanted something close to where he lived and a business that interested him,” said Vache Darakdjian of Atlas Hospitality Group, who represented Leclair in the deal.

The new owner of the landmark inn, on PCH about two miles south of downtown Laguna Beach, had been involved in business ventures related to antique cars and real estate when he lived in Canada, according to Darakdjian.

“But he had never been an owner of a bed and breakfast,” said Darakdjian.

The Casa Laguna Inn had been controlled by Casa Laguna Partners of Portola Valley in Northern California since 1984, he added.

“The property is not run down,” said Darakdjian. “But he (Leclair) wants to take a different approach.”

Once a preferred getaway for celebrities such as Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, the inn has been marketed as more of a mainstream hotel in recent years. Leclair plans to try to attract more high-profile LA types, advertising in entertainment-industry trade publications and putting on more special events such as vintage car shows.

The new owner also will begin a 1 1/2-year renovation project estimated to cost more than $500,000 to complete. Fourteen rooms will receive face lifts. In addition, four suites, as well as The Cottage , which is rented to large families , will be completely redesigned.

The inn’s Mission House, which has been used as a multi-bedroom area also leased to large families, will be converted into a common area for receptions and as a place for guests to gather.

The inn’s ocean-view gardens also will continue to be used for weddings and other receptions, according to Darakdjian.

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Gene Ashwill, a longtime local developer, has purchased the Fullerton Airport Commerce Center for $2.35 million.

The seller is an Appleton, Wis.-based insurance firm, the Aid Association for Lutherans.

“It was a property that was taken through foreclosure and AAL didn’t want to keep it,” said Ken Johnson, associate vice president of Grubb