HALF MOON BAY — The University of California system has purchased its second notable hotel in just over a year with the purchase of the Ritz-Carlton along the San Mateo County coast in Half Moon Bay, documents filed Oct. 20 with the San Mateo County Recorder’s Office.
Acquired for $192.9 million, the buyer was a subsidiary based in the downtown Oakland headquarters of the University of California’s Office of the President, where the university’s real estate unit is also located.
The deal for the 261-room resort at 1 Miramontes Road marks the second time in about a year that a University of California affiliate has purchased a major hotel in the Bay Area, also at a discounted price.
The Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay was purchased for about 20 percent less than its estimated value of $241.8 million.
In October 2025, a University of California affiliate paid $175.8 million for the 331-room Residence Inn Berkeley at 2121 Center St. in downtown. In 2023, the 16-story hotel was valued at $218 million, according to a report by MSCI Real Capital Analytics.
The university system acquired the two hotels in all-cash transactions.
In both cases, the sellers were companies active in the hotel sector. Boston-based Pyramid Global Hospitality sold the Berkeley Hotel and Chicago-based Strategic Hotels and Resorts sold the Half Moon Bay Hotel.
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