Beach chic.

To sleep in the minimalist surroundings of a sleek boutique hotel, an out-of-towner had to pony up for a taxi ride from LAX to Westwood or West Hollywood.

Now, the South Bay has two new hotels--The Belamar, which opened early this month, and the Shade, scheduled to open late summer--that will give travelers the boutique experience. Both are in Manhattan Beach.

"Right now, the South Bay doesn't really have much in the way of upscale contemporary hip hotels, and that is the niche we are really looking to fill," said William Lantig, whose Lanting Management Group took over hotel operations at the Belamar last year.

The new hotels won't suffer for customers, said Helen Duncan, executive director of the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce, citing the lack of properties in the city, especially those catering to boutique clientele.

"We have younger, more affluent people in Manhattan Beach than we have ever had before," she said.

LaeRoc Partners Inc., the Hermosa Beach-based owner of the Belamar, spent $9 million to turn the former classic Victorian-style Barnabey's Hotel into the swanky Belamar. The 127-room property, located at 3501 Sepulveda Blvd., was closed for two years during renovations.

"In its past, the hotel was very English country cottage, which was really great when we are we were all listening to Joni Mitchell," said Lanting. "The problem is that got tired."

Guests pay a minimum of $199 for a night at the Belamar. That's over $100 more than the $95.54 average daily room rate for the South Bay in January this year, according to PKF Consulting.

The Shade Hotel, being developed for $6 million by Michael Zislis, the owner of the Rock N' Fish restaurant in Manhattan Beach, still is in the works. It will have 38 rooms.

LaeRoc bought the former Barnabey's from LAX Hotel LLC for $13.5 million three years ago. Opening along with the Belamar is Vibe, the hotel's restaurant, whose executive chef Sherie Pegues had worked at Le Meridian and the St. Regis Hotels.

Staff reporter Rachel Brown can be reached by phone at [phone], ext. 224, or by e-mail at [e-mail].