MALIBU, Calif. -- It's Monday, Jan. 27, a clear, blue-sky day.
At the Malibu Beach Inn, which reopened on Jan. 24 after a 16-day closure, the outdoor terrace at the Carbon Beach Club Restaurant offers its usual panoramic view of the Pacific. Waves roll gently toward the shore, and the midday sun bathes the patio in warmth.
Looking south along Carbon Beach, there's no hint of disaster, only a string of beachfront properties stretching into the distance.
The scene is almost surreally normal, offering no obvious sign that less than a mile away, one of California's most devastating fires has transformed acres of landscape into ash.
Here at the hotel, however, the only indication of something amiss is the lack of a lunchtime rush. The terrace is hosting just a single table of two, and indoors, the dining room is empty.
According to Gregory Day, president of hospitality for the hotel's owner, Mani Brothers Real Estate Group, the quiet restaurant can be attributed in part to the fact that most of the hotel's guests -- firefighters -- are currently in the field.
The Malibu Beach Inn reopened on Jan. 24 after a 16-day closure. Photo Credit: Christina Jelski
Of the hotel's 47 rooms, personnel from the California Department of Forestry and Protection, aka Cal Fire, occupy around 15, with the property extending them a 30% to 40% discount off its typical $1,000 daily rate.
"We've never taken a government rate in the nine years I've been here," Day said. "But it just wasn't the time to say no."
The Palisades Fire, which tore through the hills separating Los Angeles and Santa Monica from Malibu, marks the second major fire in just a month to impact the Malibu Beach Inn, following December's Franklin Fire. During the latest closure, Day and his team opted to make an extensive effort to remove any possible contaminants from the fire.
"We hired a professional remediation company that does everything you can imagine and ultimately scrubs the air," Day said, adding that as part of the process, all surfaces and textiles were cleaned, including the hotel's entire inventory of linens, totaling around 3,600 pieces.
Beyond the deep cleaning, the hotel has added high-end HEPA air purifiers to every guestroom. And as part of its partnership with Cure, the members-only medical spa across the street, the property is also offering mental health services via telehealth to any guests who might need extra support.
For now, Malibu's tourism recovery remains on hold, with a rebound unlikely to begin in earnest until the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) reopens. Currently, what should be about a 12-mile drive from Santa Monica to the Malibu Beach Inn takes about an hour or more via alternate routes -- another possible reason why the property was quiet.
"Once PCH fully reopens, that will be a game-changer," Day said. "And it's so critically important for business levels to return, because the hardest thing for the staff is, how do they make a living? Everyone has to pay rent."
Lessons from Lahaina
In Santa Monica, hospitality leaders are similarly hoping to prevent an unnecessary second crisis: the economic impact of a tourism slowdown.
"The fact is, only 2% of L.A. County has been affected by the fire, but the perception is it's 98%," said Simon Fricker, general manager of the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows. "So if you really want to support the community, come back."
The Fairmont Miramar's messaging is aligned with that of regional tourism officials, who also emphasized that the vast majority of Los Angeles-area attractions and businesses remain fully operational.
"In moments like these, tourism does more than drive our economy; it becomes a lifeline in supporting our community's recovery," said Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board CEO Adam Burke. He said more than 540,000 Angelenos work in the tourism sector.
According to Zachary Courtney, the Fairmont Miramar's marketing director, L.A.-area hotels have sufficient room supply to continue supporting evacuees and emergency personnel while simultaneously welcoming leisure and business travelers.
Amid the fires, the Fairmont Miramar cut rates by 40% for evacuees and, as of Jan. 27, it was housing displaced residents and cleanup crews in about 25% of its 297 rooms.
The hotel has also launched multiple community support initiatives, including providing meals for first responders, hosting fire department union meetings and partnering with local food banks.
But Fricker emphasized that the best way to help the broader community is to maintain travel plans.
"Don't cancel -- please support our colleagues," he said.
A view of the Santa Monica Pier from the Shutters on the Beach hotel. Photo Credit: Christina Jelski
Charlie Lopez-Quintana, vice president and managing director of Santa Monica ETC Hotels sister properties Shutters on the Beach and Hotel Casa del Mar, expressed similar concerns, citing lessons learned following the 2023 Maui wildfires.
"We've discussed in internal meetings with city officials the [problem with the] fact that the initial response after the Lahaina fire was 'do not come,' but then a few weeks later, they said, 'No, please come,'" said Lopez-Quintana. "Lahaina was terrible, but the rest of Maui was untouched. And L.A. County is also big and mostly untouched. So we know our messaging has to be different."
Both Shutters and Hotel Casa del Mar are currently housing evacuees while also maintaining normal operations. As of early last week, around 35% to 40% of the 198 rooms at Shutters and roughly 20% to 25% of the 129 rooms at Casa del Mar were occupied by displaced locals.
The two properties have cut their rates by 50% for evacuees and first responders and are also offering additional services like complimentary pet grooming and laundry services at cost.
An oceanview guestroom at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica. Photo Credit: Christina Jelski
And like many L.A. hotels hosting evacuees, they've waived their pet fees. Both properties are now home to an unprecedented number of pets, with one family fleeing to Shutters not only with four kids but also a dog, a guinea pig and a python.
"I don't want to minimize what has happened, because it's terrible," said Lopez-Quintana. "But there's also the human aspect of being able to overcome, and saying, 'Hey, let's try to go back to normal,' because normal is what is going to support all these individuals, businesses and employees."