Former police officer and current real estate developer Robert Leach is making a multimillion-dollar bet in Hood, a Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta community with just 244 residents, according to the 2020 census. His bet hinges on the appeal of a boutique experience for potential visitors seeking a quieter, destination-style escape.

According to current project materials supplied by Leach, the project, known as The River Hotel & Spa, is a planned 64-suite riverfront hotel with a full-service spa, restaurant, lounge and 650-foot public marina. Considering its scale, Leach estimates the private investment at $39.9 million. 

Although earlier plans described the project as a 60-room Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel, that changed when Leach decided to move away from Marriott and Hyatt. He is now pursuing an affiliation with Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

However, this is not the first time Leach has considered the idea. He was presented with this hotel idea about a decade ago. The reported reason he did not seize the idea is that the infrastructure in Hood simply made development too difficult, but that is no longer as big of a concern. Leach says recent sewer work in Hood has made the idea viable again. 

Public records substantiate the broader infrastructure work, with a Franklin and Hood septic-to-sewer conversion project underway, although it remains unclear when service will be available to the hotel site itself.

Besides the newer wastewater infrastructure making the project more viable, Leach believes that the location offers something far harder to reproduce. This something is the riverfront setting nearby Elk Grove and access to Sacramento. He believes that through these attractions, Hood can support a destination property. He also says that suitable riverfront sites are scarce and that Hood’s isolation is part of his business model.

“The fact that we’re in a town of 250 people, that makes it even more charming to go there to get away from it,” Leach says. Additionally, despite its isolation, the neighboring Willow Ballroom already brings wedding and event traffic to Hood.

When asked what would fill the rooms on a Tuesday, “The answer there is the corporate meetings and event space that we have built into the hotel, including waterfront corporate meeting rooms,” Leach says. The planned wellness center may create another reason to visit outside of events. He says the goal is to draw groups out of Sacramento for retreats without requiring the longer trip to Napa, San Francisco or Lake Tahoe.

The strategy also puts the hotel in a different part of the market from the select-service properties Leach says have dominated much of the region’s newer hotel development. His bet is that travelers will pay for a destination experience built around the river rather than simply a room near a freeway. “It’s a resort-style hotel, and it’s all about the experience,” Leach says.

This strategy also helps explain the move away from Marriott. Leach says the project had opportunities to work with Marriott and Hyatt but that he preferred the independence available through Preferred Hotels & Resorts. “I’d rather be an independent luxury boutique hotel than to be part of a big corporate chain,” he says.

However, Leach’s plan also depends heavily on visitors seeing Hood as more than a place to stay for a night. The hotel is designed around the idea that people will also come for the river, nearby wineries, recreation and the Delta itself. 

It’s also worth noting that Leach’s project aligns with broader efforts to promote the Delta as a destination. Congress established the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area in 2019, and the Delta Protection Commission has since worked on tourism initiatives promoting the region. When the commission unveiled new tourism branding in 2025, National Heritage Area Program Manager Blake Roberts said the effort was intended to “demonstrate to visitors what a special place the Delta truly is.”

Alongside this federal-level support, there is local support for more overnight lodging. In a February 2025 letter backing the Hood hotel, the Delta Legacy Communities board argued that limited overnight accommodation restricts visitors’ ability to fully experience the region. 

Still, the same geography that gives the project its appeal also complicates development. Leach says the hotel is undergoing a full environmental impact review and that the process has added about a year to the timeline. He currently hopes to complete the review and begin construction in summer 2027, although that remains a target rather than a confirmed county construction date.

The proposed Delta Conveyance Project would also place major intake infrastructure near Hood. State environmental documents anticipate construction-related effects, including traffic and noise, in the project area if the tunnel moves forward. However, Leach did not cite the proposed tunnel as part of his rationale for choosing Hood.

For Leach, the larger challenge is bringing more people to Hood without removing the reason they would want to go there. “My job is to maintain the small-town charm of the place, because that’s what I’m selling,” Leach says. “I’m not selling the urban infill deal.”

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