For the Love of Hospitality

Tourism has long been part of the lifeblood of the Central Coast, but even more people are discovering and falling in love with the region for the first time — a credit to the wining and dining scene that keeps getting better and better, as well as the expanded diversity of compelling hotel options for travelers to check into. One local hotelier believes it’s more than that. “I feel like this is just the beginning of a whole new phase for this area,” said Kimberly Walker, co-founder and co-owner of Nomada Hotel Group.

Over lunch at Nella in Los Olivos, Walker filled me in on Nomada’s signature approach to hospitality and some exciting new projects in the works, spearheaded in collaboration with her business and life partner, Mike Kyle. Their Central Coast–rooted company has been quietly expanding its footprint since embarking upon its first hotel project in 2012, the Granada Hotel & Bistro in downtown San Luis Obispo. Walker’s passion for hospitality, curating experiences, and creating a space for human connection through travel shines through — whether she’s talking about her favorite hotels around the world, what makes the Central Coast so special, or how they choose projects.

Walker and Kyle operated the Granada for seven or eight years before even thinking about another hotel. “We got so excited about the Skyview property because we loved Los Alamos so much, going down there and just spending the day with that incredible hospitality.” When they found the Skyview project, they knew it was the next step. “We fell in love with the building,” she said.