The Ayres Family

Don Ayres Jr. was raised in Los Angeles, attended Hollywood High School, received his Bachelor’s in Business Management for Advertising from USC and has passed his love for sailing and the water down to his children.

In 1955, he joined the long legacy and family business of land development started by his grandfather, Frank H. Ayres in 1905 where Frank H. Ayres & Son developed land throughout LA County. When Don joined, his father, Don Ayres Sr. had spent years in the business starting in the roaring ’20s developing several single-family home sites, apartments and commercial units in the Pico/Robertson area. Frank was also instrumental in connecting Santa Monica to the greater Los Angeles area, where he formed Westchester - one of the first planned cities in the United States of over 3,000 acres and he developed the Portuguese Bend on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. At Don Jr’s arrival into the business, it was decided Don Sr. would take over the land subdividing division of the business and Don Jr. would start the firm’s homebuilding interests from San Fernando Valley to San Diego.

Don Jr. developed the concept of European boutique hotels after a trip to Europe with his daughter, Allyson Ayres-D’Eliscu in the early ’80s. By 1984, the first Ayres hotel location opened, named ‘Cardiff Country Side Inn’ in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California where Allyson played a significant role in the interior design of the hotel. This began the tradition of the Ayres family as builders, owners, and operators.

In 1979, Don’s son, Bruce, joined the business with a focus on land acquisition. In 1986, another son, Don III, joined and started his hotel career at their Country Side Inn hotel in Costa Mesa. Soon after and in 1989, Don Jr.’s youngest son, Doug, entered the family business. Doug focused on land acquisition and the construction of the acquired land. Allyson remained influential in the interior design of their hotels for 11 years. All 3 sons remain involved and active today.

Don remains actively involved today in business decisions and direction. He has welcomed the newest generation into the business, his two grandsons, Chase and Ethan. He believes in setting up the next generation for success and has had them complete an extensive training program at various Ayres locations working in all departments.

He is married to Janet Ayres who was actively involved in the business for years assisting with Interior Design, Housekeeping Operations, and Maintenance Operations. They reside in Newport Beach. Don enjoys his time with his 5 children and 11 grandchildren.

“It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice.”— John Cassis

Don Ayres, III., son of Donald Ayres Jr., grew up in Newport Beach and received his Bachelor of Arts in American Studies of Literature and History in 1980 from USC. Passionate about the ocean, Don sailed competitively for many years. And in his twenties, he circumnavigated the Pacific, traveled and worked construction jobs.

His hotel career began in 1986 where he focused on learning operations by working restaurant positions, front desk and sales. After learning about the key elements of operations firsthand, his focus and responsibilities shifted to company branding, corporate marketing, sales collateral, rate strategies and effectively communicating the essence of Ayres Hotels of Southern California.

Don’s passion for people led him to develop the company’s core values (*We Care About People *We Value Teamwork *We Deliver Results). These core values have fostered a positive and team member supportive work culture within the organization that motivates management and team members to practice the company’s core values throughout their daily interactions.

In 2005, Don participated in the growth and success of Ayres Hotels by developing and managing multiple development projects.

Today, he continues to seek out other development opportunities; while maintaining focus on organizational issues and committing to creating a healthy transition to the next generation.

Don is married to Sandra and they have two sons, Don IV. and Ethan. He is an avid surfer and traveler. He is a Deacon at Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church, on the board of non-profit NorthEast of the Well and is active in the faith-based recovery program, Teen Challenge. He is a life-long learner and personal growth advocate.

"There are as many ways to do things as there are people; as long as there is goodness."

Bruce Ayres, son of Donald Ayres Jr., grew up in Newport Beach and graduated from Newport Harbor High School. In 1979, he received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Comparative Religion from California State University, Long Beach. During his childhood, he was exposed to sailing and later it became a passion. He is still involved in competitive racing today.

Bruce began his career as a construction laborer shoveling gutters and sweeping houses for his father’s housing residential tracks in 1973. He then joined the Ayres Corporate Office in 1979; where he was involved in acquisitions and the construction of self-storages/commercial centers. Starting in 1985, he became involved with hotel acquisitions as well and began processing the projects through respective cities to obtain building permits. By 1988, he built his first hotel for Ayres and since has developed 10 Ayres properties.

Currently, he is still involved with site acquisitions and the management of existing hotels. With his son, Chase, he is developing his 11th property, Ayres Hotel Vista projected to open in early 2020. You will often find him in the field visiting hotels and General Managers to ensure hotels are maintained and operating according to the Ayres standards.

Bruce is happily married to his wife Jill for 32 years. Together, they have raised 3 children; Chase, Hayley, and Beau. He is still a passionate sailor and races in world-class regattas around the world. He has been very successful in the Melges 24. He loves to swim and practice Pilates. His family is his biggest priority and joy.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” —Napoleon Hill

Douglas, son of Donald Ayres Jr., grew up in Newport Beach and studied Religion and Music at the University of Southern California before embarking on a busy career in sound recording and design. He also completed studies in anthropology while living with a tribe during his time in the Amazon.

Representing the third generation of Ayres hoteliers, he took up the industry of his forebears in 1989 when Doug joined the family business. Since this embarkment, he has gained extensive experience in and personally leads the development of hotel projects (i.e. site selection, entitlement, design, and construction) as well as being critically involved in the pre-opening process and communications with investors and government officials. He was also instrumental in creating the updated European ambiance for which the Ayres Hotels collection is known.

In August 2015, Doug completed the construction of the Allegretto Vineyard Resort by Ayres in Paso Robles, CA. As a hands-on investor, developer, and project manager, Douglas led the project on a daily basis, from land acquisition to the resort’s grand opening. In 2002, Doug was taken with the beauty and agriculture of the region and has populated the hotel with arts and artifacts from his many travels throughout South America, Asia, Europe and beyond. This is his most personal project yet; designed to recreate the peace and proportion of ancient spaces. “Across history, people have expressed their connection to a deeper source through their environment, food, song, dance, and celebration,” he says. “The Allegretto is another of those human expressions. It tells a story in time – a story of joy.”

In the water, Douglas has competed in five transpacific sailboat ocean races. On land, he travels around the world often with his wife Michelle and he is an avid winemaker.

"Cultivate presence and quality as a way of life."

Chase Ayres, son of Bruce Ayres, was raised in Newport Beach and received his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of San Diego.

During high school summers, he would work either as a busboy at Le Chateau Restaurant or as a bellman at Ayres Hotel Costa Mesa/Newport Beach. Early on, he realized the importance of providing a positive “guest experience”. This interest led him to be more eager about how hotel operations worked. In a three-year period, he worked in hotel construction, housekeeping, front desk, sales, maintenance and as an Assistant General Manager.

Later, he was given the opportunity to construct an in-fill project of 18 single-family homes in Riverside. His responsibilities included: entitling, bidding, project management, superintending the offsite improvements and building the model for this development.

He is focused on continuing the family tradition of real estate development in Southern California and now sits as an Executive Committee Member of the Ayres Group.

He is endlessly fascinated with business, real estate, family, healthy living and personal evolution.

Don Ayres IV grew up in Newport Beach, California. His hotel career began at just 15 years old while attending Sage Hill High School, where he worked as part of the bell staff at Ayres Hotel Costa Mesa.

Following his high school days, Don pursued higher education at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. There, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate Finance and a minor in Economics. The summer after graduation, he interned at the Ayres Regional Accounting office before returning to SMU to earn his Master’s in Accounting.

Upon completing his education, Don yearned to broaden his horizons and joined HFF, specializing in capital markets and investment sales for commercial real estate. He later moved on to Aimbridge Hospitality, the world’s largest hotel management company, where he rose to Senior Vice President of Development. These roles allowed him to gain valuable industry insights and management skills.

Don’s personal life is equally fulfilling, with wife, Melissa, and their son, Don V, by his side. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors with his family, traveling, golfing, and spending time on the water.

His return to the Ayres Organization as President of Ayres Hotels is a homecoming that brings a fresh perspective and a wealth of experiences. He looks forward to embracing innovation and continuing the cherished Ayres legacy of fostering a culture of care and delivering outstanding results.

"Don't gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold." – "Zion Train"

Dustin Ayres was introduced to the hospitality industry at an early age. His grandfather, Don Ayres Jr., believed that hard work, staying busy, and gaining real-world experience were essential life lessons. During his younger years, Dustin spent summers working in housekeeping and as a food runner at the Ayres Hotel in Costa Mesa.

Dustin attended the University of San Francisco, and after graduating, he continued building his experience within the family business, working in both maintenance and front desk operations. These hands-on roles gave him a strong appreciation for the dedication and teamwork required to create exceptional guest experiences.

Today, Dustin serves as an Asset Manager, overseeing several retail centers throughout Southern California and Utah. In addition to managing the family's commercial real estate portfolio, he holds a real estate license and actively pursues new investment opportunities that support the continued growth of the company.

Having worked in many areas of the business - from housekeeping to hospitality operations and commercial real estate - Dustin values the lessons learned along the way and enjoys contributing to the next chapter alongside the fifth generation of his family.

Dustin's personal motto is, “Live life, be kind, don’t take things too seriously, but be proactive about achieving your goals - not only in work, but also as a person.”