Hotel del Coronado

{{Short description|Hotel in California, United States}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox hotel | name = Hotel del Coronado | logo = Hotel del Coronado logo.svg | logo_size = 200px | image = Hotel Del Coronado Drone Picture Turf Lawn.jpg | image_size = 300px | caption = Aerial view of the Hotel del Coronado, 2016 | location = United States | address = 1500 Orange Avenue [[Coronado, California]] | hotel_chain = | pushpin_map = California#USA | height = 120 Ft (36.6 M) Architecturally 140 Ft (42.7 M) Tip of flagpole | coordinates = {{coord|32.6809|-117.1784|region:US-CA_type:landmark|display=title,inline}} | opening_date = February 19, 1888 {{Time ago|February 19, 1888}} | architect = [[Reid & Reid]] | operator = [[Curio (brand)|Curio Collection by Hilton]] | cost = | owner = [[The Blackstone Group]] | number_of_rooms = 757 | number_of_suites = Junior Suites Victorian Suites Signature Suite Resort Suites Beach Village cottages Beach Village Cottages & Villas | number_of_restaurants = 7 | floor_area =  | floor_count = 7 | '''height''' =  | parking = | website = [https://www.hoteldel.com/ hoteldel.com] {{Infobox NRHP | embed = yes | nrhp_type = nhl | architecture = [[Victorian architecture|Late Victorian]], [[Queen Anne Style architecture (United States)|Queen Anne]] | designated_nrhp_type = May 5, 1977 | added = October 14, 1971 | refnum = 71000181 | designated_other1 = California | designated_other1_number = 844 | designated_other1_date = 1970 }} | footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/263744 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225082729/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/263744 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |title=Emporis building ID 263744 |work=[[Emporis]]}}</ref><ref>{{Structurae|20045692}}</ref><ref name=nhlsum /><ref name=chl /> }}

The '''Hotel del Coronado''', also known as '''The Del''' and '''Hotel Del''', is a historic beachfront [[hotel]] in [[Coronado, California]], just across [[San Diego Bay]] from [[San Diego]]. A rare surviving example of an American architectural genre—the wooden [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] beach resort—it was designated a [[California Historical Landmark]] in 1970<ref name="chl">{{cite ohp|844|Hotel del Coronado|2012-10-13}}</ref> and a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1977.<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1082&ResourceType=Building |title=National Historic Landmarks Program: Hotel del Coronado |date=1977-05-05 |access-date=2008-06-18 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=National Park Service |archive-date=2012-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004132615/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1082&ResourceType=Building |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="nris">{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/CA/San+Diego/state2.html |title=National Register Information System |date=2007-01-23 |work=National Register of Historic Places, Hotel del Coronado; Coronado, California |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> It is the second-largest wooden structure in the United States (after the [[Tillamook Air Museum]] in [[Tillamook, Oregon]]).

When the hotel opened in 1888, it was the largest resort hotel in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lippe-McGraw |first=Jordi |title=The Craziest Secrets Of Hotel del Coronado |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordilippemcgraw/2018/02/28/secrets-hotel-del-coronado/ |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> It has hosted presidents, royalty, and celebrities, and been featured in numerous films and books.<ref name="Starr01">{{cite book |last=Starr |first=Kevin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9HnIh_auw9MC&q=Hotel+Del+Coronado&pg=PA97 |title=The Dream Endures: California Enters the 1940s |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-19-515797-4 |location=US |page=496 |ref=Starr01}}</ref>

== History == [[File:The Hotel Redondo, ca.1900 (CHS-2131).jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Hotel Redondo, opened 1890]]

=== San Diego land boom === In the mid-1880s, the San Diego region was experiencing one of its first real estate booms. At that time, it was common for a California developer to build a grand hotel as a draw to an otherwise barren landscape; examples include The [[Hollywood Hotel]] in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], the [[Raymond Hotel (Pasadena, California)|Raymond Hotel]] in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]], the [[Hotel Del Monte]] in [[Monterey, California|Monterey]], and [[Hotel Redondo]] in [[Redondo Beach, California|Redondo Beach]].<ref name=SDJH01>{{cite web|title=The Lady Who Lives By The Sea |url=https://sandiegohistory.org/journal/1966/january/ladybysea/ |last=Ormsby |first=Burke |work=The Journal of San Diego History |publisher=San Diego Historical Society| year=1966|access-date=2008-10-20}}</ref>

=== Coronado Beach Company === In November 1885, a group of five investors bought Coronado and North Island, about 4,000 acres, for $110,000.<ref name="Cornerstone102103">{{cite book|title = Building the Dream: The Design and Construction of the Hotel del Coronado|author = Hotel del Coronado Heritage Department|pages = 13|publisher = Hotel del Coronado Heritage Department|date = 2008}}</ref> They were [[E. S. Babcock]], a retired railroad executive from [[Evansville, Indiana]]; Hampton L. Story, of the Story & Clark Piano Company of Chicago; Jacob Gruendike, president of the First National Bank of San Diego; Heber Ingle; and Joseph Collett.

In April 1886, Babcock and Story created the Coronado Beach Company, then additional enterprises to support Coronado's development. The Coronado Ferry Company built wharves and storage facilities and developed a ferryboat service between Coronado and San Diego; The Coronado Water Company piped fresh water under San Diego Bay from the San Diego River; The Coronado Railroad Company provided rail lines in Coronado, and eventually a "Belt Line" connected Coronado to San Diego via the Strand. The Hotel del Coronado had one of the state's largest electrical power plants, providing service to the entire community of Coronado until the 1920s.

The men hired architect [[James W. Reid (architect)|James W. Reid]], a native of [[New Brunswick, Canada]], who first practiced in Evansville and Terre Haute. His brother [[Merritt J. Reid|Merritt Reid]], a partner in [[Reid Brothers]], the Evansville firm, stayed in Indiana, and his brother [[Watson Elkinah Reid|Watson Reid]] helped supervise the 2,000 laborers needed.<ref name="SDJH01" />

=== Babcock's vision === Babcock's visions for the hotel were grand:

{{blockquote|It would be built around a court... a garden of tropical trees, shrubs and flowers... From the south end, the foyer should open to Glorietta Bay with verandas for rest and a promenade. On the ocean corner, there should be a pavilion tower, and northward along the ocean, a colonnade, terraced in grass to the beach. The dining wing should project at an angle from the southeast corner of the court and be almost detached, to give full value to the view of the ocean, bay, and city.<ref name=SDhistory>{{cite web|title=A Grand Lady Turns Ninety-Five|url=http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/83summer/lady.htm|work=The Journal of San Diego History|publisher=San Diego Historical Society|year=1983|access-date=2008-10-20|archive-date=2012-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225121716/http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/83summer/lady.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

=== Construction === [[File:Hotel del Coronando, 1887.jpg|thumb|alt=Black and white photo of a large partially constructed building with tents erected on the empty field nearby|The Hotel del Coronado under construction in 1887]] If the hotel were to be built, one of the numerous problems to overcome was the absence of [[lumber]] and labor in the San Diego area. The lumber problem was solved with contracts for exclusive rights to all raw lumber production of the Dolbeer & Carson Lumber Company of [[Eureka, California]], one of the West's largest. [[Planing mill]]s were built on site to finish raw lumber shipped directly from the Dolbeer & Carson lumber yards on the shores of [[Humboldt Bay]].<ref name=SDJH01 /> To obtain brick and concrete, Reid built his own kilns. He also constructed a metal shop and ironworks.<ref name="Baker, Gayle 2007, p. 53">Baker, Gayle, San Diego, HarborTown History Publications, 2007, p. 53, {{ISBN|9780971098466}} (print), 9780987903853 (on-line)</ref>

Construction of the hotel began in March 1887, "on a sandspit populated by jack rabbits and coyotes".<ref name="CCC01">{{cite book |last=Caughman |first=Madge |url=https://archive.org/details/californiacoasta00cali |title=California Coastal Resource Guide |publisher=University of California Press |year=1987 |isbn=0-520-06186-1 |location=US |page=[https://archive.org/details/californiacoasta00cali/page/384 384] |quote=Hotel Del Coronado. |ref=CCC01 |url-access=registration}}</ref> Labor was provided largely by [[Chinese American|Chinese immigrants]] from [[San Francisco]] and [[Oakland, California|Oakland]].<ref name=SDJH01 />

The Crown Room was Reid's masterpiece. Its wooden ceiling was installed with pegs and glue, and not a single nail was used.<ref name="ReferenceA">[[#habs|Historic American Buildings Survey]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-07-01|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=#habs|reason= }}: 5</ref>

Landscaping for the hotel was completed by [[Kate Sessions]].<ref name="Cornerstone102103" />

==== Planning for fire hazards ==== Reid's plans were constantly being revised. To deal with fire hazards, a freshwater pipeline was run under San Diego Bay. Water tanks and gravity flow sprinklers were installed. He also built two giant cisterns with concrete walls a foot thick in the basement to store rainwater. These were never used for rainwater, but were reputedly handy for storing alcohol during [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]]. Reid also installed the world's first oil furnace in the hotel, prompting a Los Angeles oil company to build tankers to carry the oil to Coronado.<ref name="Baker, Gayle 2007, p. 53" /> Electric lighting in a hotel was also a world first. The electric wires were installed inside the gas lines, so if the electricity didn't work, gas could illuminate the rooms.<ref name=SDJH01 /> Contrary to popular rumor, [[Thomas Edison]] was not involved in the installation of The Del's electrical system. The electricity was installed by the Mather Electric Company of Chicago (sometimes called the Mather-Perkins Company). An early Del brochure touted its "Mather incandescent electric lamps, of which there are 2,500." Electricity was still new to San Diego, having been introduced in 1886.

In 1904, the Hotel del Coronado introduced the world's first electrically lighted, outdoor living Christmas tree. From the ''San Diego Union'', December 25, 1904: "The tree selected for the honor is one of the three splendid Norfolk Island pines on the plaza [grassy area in front of the hotel]. It has attained a height of fifty feet and its branches stand proudly forth. All day yesterday electricians were busy fitting it up and by night 250 lights of many colors gave beauty to the fine old pine. Lanterns, great and small, hung from its boughs. And now that an open-air Christmas tree has been introduced, it is likely that another Christmas Eve will find many California gardens aglow with light scattered from living foliage."

=== Grand opening and real estate bust === When the 399-room hotel opened for business in February 1888,<ref name="Cornerstone102103" /><ref name=habs>{{cite web | title=Historic American Buildings Survey: Hotel del Coronado query | url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hh:@field(NUMBER+@band(CA0567))| publisher=Library of Congress |work=American Memory Collection|year=1977| access-date=2008-10-21}}</ref> 1,440 San Diegans traveled across the bay. Reports of the new grand hotel were wired across the country, but just as the hotel was nearing completion, the Southern California land boom collapsed. Babcock and Story needed additional funds at a time when many people were deserting San Diego. Babcock turned to Captain [[Charles T. Hinde]] and sugar magnate [[John D. Spreckels]], who lent them $100,000 to finish the hotel. The Coronado Beach Company was then capitalized with $3 million. The company directors at this time were Babcock, Spreckels, Hinde, H. W. Mallett, and Giles Kellogg.<ref>McGrew, Clarence Alan "City of San Diego and San Diego County:the birthplace of California, Volume 1 (Google eBook)" American Historical Society, 1922</ref> By 1890 Spreckels bought out both Babcock and Story. The [[Spreckels family]] retained ownership of the hotel until 1948.<ref name=SDJH01 />

The original grounds had many amenities, including an Olympic-sized saltwater pool, tennis courts, and a yacht club with architecture resembling the hotel's grand tower. A Japanese tea garden, an ostrich farm, billiards, bowling alleys, hunting expeditions, and deep sea fishing were some of the many features offered to its guests.<ref name=SDJH01 />

[[File:Hotel Del c1900b.jpg|thumb|center|750px|Restored [[photochrom]] print of the Hotel del Coronado by [[William Henry Jackson]], {{Circa|1900}}]]

=== Kate Morgan and Room 3327 === [[File:Kate Morgan sepia.jpg|thumb|right|The alleged ghost of [[Kate Morgan]] is said to haunt the hotel]]

[[Kate Morgan]] (<abbr>c.</abbr> 1864 – 1892) was an American housemaid who died in her mid-twenties under mysterious circumstances at the Hotel del Coronado. She checked into the hotel alone under the name "Lottie A Bernard" from Detroit. Five days later, on November 29, 1892, she was found dead from a gunshot wound to her head. The San Diego County coroner determined the wound was self-inflicted, but skeptics claim the bullet that killed her did not match the gun in her hand.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Haunted Hotels in San Diego {{!}} The Del's Kate Morgan Mystery |url=https://hoteldel.com/timeline/kate-morgan-mystery-begins/ |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=Hotel del Coronado |language=en-US}}</ref>

To this day, Morgan is thought by locals to haunt the hotel, and the hotel website has a page about her. The hotel offers tours of Room 502, the room in which Morgan stayed. Room 502 is the most requested room at the Hotel del Coronado.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Room 502 Tour {{!}} Haunting Fun at Hotel del Coronado |url=https://hoteldel.com/events/room-502-tour/ |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=Hotel del Coronado |language=en-US}}</ref>

Due to this incident the Hotel del Coronado offers ghost tours called "Haunted Happenings" Fridays through Sundays at 7pm.

=== Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson === On April 7, 1920, [[Edward VIII of the United Kingdom|Edward, Prince of Wales]] was honored with a grand banquet in the Crown Room. Despite speculation that he met his future wife and Coronado resident [[Wallis, Duchess of Windsor|Wallis Simpson]] at the event—her then-husband [[Earl Winfield Spencer Jr.]] was the first commanding officer of nearby [[Naval Air Station San Diego]]<ref name="ReferenceA" />—most historians believe they met later.<ref>[https://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/92summer/wales.htm Journal of San Diego History, Summer 1992]</ref> Edward and Simpson wrote in their memoirs that they met much later.<ref>[http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/oct/13/decades-old-rumors-britains-royal-prince-edward/ San Diego Union Tribune, October 13, 2009]</ref>

=== Hollywood's playground === The hotel's popularity was established before the 1920s. It already had hosted Presidents Harrison, McKinley, Taft, and Wilson.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Presidential Visitors {{!}} Famous Guests at Hotel del Coronado|url=https://hoteldel.com/press/presidential-visitors-hotel-del-coronado/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918102429/https://hoteldel.com/press/presidential-visitors-hotel-del-coronado/|archive-date=2020-09-18|access-date=2021-01-26|website=Hotel del Coronado|language=en-US}}</ref> By the 1920s, many of [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]'s stars made their way to the hotel during the 1920s and 1930s, especially during [[Prohibition]]. [[Douglas Fairbanks]], [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[Rudolph Valentino]], [[Clark Gable]], [[Errol Flynn]], [[Mae West]], [[Joan Crawford]], [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Bette Davis]], and [[Ginger Rogers]] are among the actors who stayed at the hotel.<ref name=hollywood02>{{cite book|last=Medved |first=Harry|year=2006|title=Hollywood Escapes| publisher=Macmillan| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uj-kOGg81MEC&q=Hotel+Del+Coronado&pg=PA88|access-date=2008-10-20| page=432 | isbn=978-0-312-30856-8}}</ref>

On New Year's Day 1937, during the [[Great Depression]], the gambling ship [[SS Monte Carlo|SS ''Monte Carlo'']], known for "drinks, dice, and dolls", ran aground on the beach about a quarter mile south of the Hotel del Coronado.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Graham | first = David E | title = Busting the House: Casino Boat Drashed into Coronado 70 Years Ago | newspaper = SignOnSanDiego | location = San Diego | publisher = Union Tribune | date = Jan 2, 2007 | url = http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070102-9999-1m2ship.html | access-date = Mar 19, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120830143514/http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070102-9999-1m2ship.html | archive-date = August 30, 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

=== World War II === During World War II, the U.S. government took over many West Coast resorts and hotels for housing and hospitals. The Hotel del Coronado housed pilots who were training at nearby [[Naval Air Station North Island|North Island Naval Air Station]] on a contract basis, but it was never commandeered. General manager Steven Royce convinced the Navy not to take over the hotel because most of the additional rooms were being used to house the families of officers. He pointed out that "the fathers, mothers, and wives were given priority to the rooms because it may be the last time they will see their sons and husbands".<ref name=WWII>{{cite web |title=How The Del avoided US Military takeover during WWII |publisher=The Hotel del Coronado |work=Press Room Releases |url=http://www.hoteldel.com/PressReleaseTemplate.aspx?id=534 |date=2008-01-01 |access-date=2008-10-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125083912/http://hoteldel.com/PressReleaseTemplate.aspx?id=534 |archive-date=2010-11-25 }}</ref>

The hotel was designated as a "wartime casualty station". It began a [[victory garden]] program, planting vegetables on all spare grounds around the hotel.<ref>{{cite web|title = Newspapers Provide Details of WWII Life in Coronado|publisher = The Hotel del Coronado|work = Press Room Releases|url = http://www.hoteldel.com/PressReleaseTemplate.aspx?id=538|date = 2008-01-08|access-date = 2010-06-10|url-status=dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101125084021/http://hoteldel.com/PressReleaseTemplate.aspx?id=538|archive-date = 2010-11-25}}</ref>

=== Post-war === Barney Goodman purchased the hotel from the Spreckels in 1948.<ref>[[#habs|Historic American Buildings Survey]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-07-01|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=#habs|reason= }}: 3</ref> From the end of World War II until 1960, the hotel began to age. While still outwardly beautiful, neglect was evident. In 1960, local millionaire John Alessio purchased the hotel and spent $2 million on refurbishment and redecorating.<ref name=SDSU>{{cite web|title=Hotel del Coronado Records, 1887–1977 |url=http://infodome.sdsu.edu/about/depts/spcollections/collections/coronado.shtml |publisher=San Diego State University |year=2005 |access-date=2008-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080716024901/http://infodome.sdsu.edu/about/depts/spcollections/collections/coronado.shtml |archive-date=2008-07-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He commissioned Hollywood set designer Al Goodman to oversee the work, which included the Grand Ballroom, the Victorian Room Lounge, and the Victorian elevator grille.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.davegoodmanuiuxdesign.com/download-files/sanDiego-magazine-may-1961-al-goodman.pdf?649f70&649f70|title=Designer Al Goodman: How To Get Ahead By Living In The Past|date=1961-05-01}}</ref>

Alessio sold the hotel to [[M. Larry Lawrence]] in 1963. Lawrence's initial plan was to develop the land around the hotel and ultimately demolish it,<ref name=lawrenceobit>{{cite news| first=Jack| last=Williams |title=M. Larry Lawrence |url=http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?read=7152 | work=The San Diego 275Union-Tribune | page=A-1 | date=10 January 1996 | access-date=2008-10-20}}</ref> but he later changed his mind. [[Westin Hotels & Resorts|Western International Hotels]] managed the hotel from September 18, 1963 to April 1, 1965.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20180102012334/http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu/masc/westin/employee_info.html</ref> During Lawrence's tenure, he invested $150 million to refurbish and expand the hotel. He doubled its capacity to 700 rooms. He added the Grande Hall Convention Center and two seven-story Ocean Towers just south of the hotel.

The Lawrence family sold the hotel to the [[Travelers Group#Travelers Group|Travelers Group]] after Lawrence died in 1996.<ref name=travelers>{{cite news|title=Historic Hotel del Coronado acquired by Travelers affiliate |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_/ai_18674220| publisher= Business Wire| work=findarticles.com| date=1996-09-12 |access-date=2008-10-20}}</ref> The Travelers Group completed a $55 million upgrade of the hotel in 2001, which included [[seismic retrofitting]].<ref name=SDUT02>{{cite news |first=Janine |last=Zuniga |title=Hotel Del Coronado ready for expansion|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20050725-9999-1m25hoteldel.html |publisher=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=2005-07-25|access-date=2008-10-20}}</ref>

=== 21st century === While retaining its classic Victorian look, the hotel continues to upgrade its facilities. In 2005, it obtained approval to construct up to 37 limited-term occupancy cottages and villas on the property and to add up to 205 rooms.<ref name=SDUT02 />

The hotel received a Four Diamond rating from the [[American Automobile Association]] in 2009 and was listed in 2011 by ''[[USA Today]]'' among the top 10 resorts in the world.<ref name="awards">{{cite web |author=Barbara De Lollis |date=2011-04-07 |title=TripAdvisor: Top 10 beaches, beach hotels in USA and world |url=http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/04/tripadvisor-top-beach-hotels-in-usa-and-world/154336/1 |access-date=2011-08-01 |work=USA Today}}</ref>

The hotel has been sold in several transactions between financial institutions. In 2003, Travelers sold the property to [[CNL Hospitality Properties]] Inc. and KSL Recreation Corp (CNL/KSL). This ownership group completed a $10 million upgrade of 381 rooms in June 2005. The hotel was then owned by the [[Blackstone Group LP]] (60%), Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. (34.5%), and KSL Resorts (5.5%). When Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. bought its stake in 2006, the hotel was valued at $745 million; as of 2011, the hotel was valued at roughly $590 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2011/02/07/deal-for-historic-san-diego-hotel-adds-blackstone-cashes-out-kkr/|title=Deal for Historic San Diego Hotel Adds Blackstone, Cashes Out KKR|last=Hudson|first=Kris|date=February 7, 2011|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=16 February 2011}}</ref> In 2014, Strategic Hotels & Resorts became full owners of the hotel.<ref>{{Cite web| first = Lori | last = Weisberg | date = May 27, 2014| title = Ownership change for Hotel del Coronado| work = U-T San Diego| access-date = 2015-05-28| url = http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/may/27/hotel-del-coronado-ownership-blackstone-oceanfront/}}</ref> In December 2015, Blackstone purchased Strategic Hotels & Resorts.

In March 2016, Blackstone sold Strategic Hotels & Resorts to [[Anbang Insurance Group]], a [[Beijing]]-based [[China|Chinese]] insurance company, in a $6.5 billion deal involving multiple resorts. Anbang thus bought 16 luxury U.S. hotel properties including the Hotel del Coronado.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/12/anbang-insurance-group-acquires-hotel-del-coronado/|title=Chinese insurer acquiring Hotel del Coronado as part of $6.5 billion deal|date=March 12, 2016|agency=Associated Press|publisher=San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref> Fifteen of them were immediately transferred to Anbang, but the sale of the Hotel del Coronado was held up because of concerns expressed by the federal inter-agency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews acquisitions of U.S. businesses by foreign investors for possible national security risks. The agency was concerned about the hotel's proximity to [[Naval Base Coronado|major Navy bases]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sdbj.com/news/2016/sep/29/report-federal-government-examining-sale-hotel-del/|title=Report: Federal Government Examining Sale of Hotel del Coronado|last=Hirsh|first=Lou|date=September 29, 2016|work=San Diego Business Journal|access-date=30 September 2016}}</ref> In October 2016, it was reported that the deal had fallen through and the hotel would remain in Blackstone's ownership.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-21/blackstone-said-to-end-anbang-deal-for-hotel-near-u-s-navy-base|title=Blackstone Ends Plan to Sell Landmark Hotel to China's Anbang After U.S. Opposition|last1=Yu|first1=Hui-Yong|last2=McLaughlin|first2=David|date=October 21, 2016|work=Bloomberg|access-date=15 May 2017}}</ref>

In August 2017, [[Hilton Hotels and Resorts]] took over the management of the Hotel del Coronado as part of its Curio Collection. The resort is still owned by Blackstone and the name Hotel del Coronado has not changed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sdbj.com/news/2017/jul/06/hotel-del-coronado-joins-hiltons-curio-collection-/|title=Hotel Del Coronado Joins Hilton's Curio Collection After Management Change|last=Hirsh|first=Lou|date=July 6, 2017|work=San Diego Business Journal|access-date=7 July 2017}}</ref>

The Hotel del Coronado was inducted into [https://www.historichotels.org/us/ Historic Hotels of America], the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hotel History - Hotel del Coronado |url=https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/hotel-del-coronado/history.php |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Historic Hotels of America |language=en}}</ref>

The hotel began a redevelopment and expansion in 2019 to add a new entryway, more guest rooms, parking garages, another restaurant, and more.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/tourism/sd-fi-hoteldelcoronado-makeover-expansion-20190215-story.html|title=Hotel del Coronado starts $200M upgrade, its biggest ever. Does it need it?|date=2019-02-15|website=San Diego Union-Tribune|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-03}}</ref> The remodel was projected to last three years and cost $400 million.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.coronadonewsca.com/news/coronado_city_news/hotel-del-coronado-completes-first-milestone-in-400-million-renovation/article_b700c1b4-0fb3-11ea-ad55-7b90c907e58d.html|title=Hotel Del Coronado Completes First Milestone In $400 Million Renovation|date=Nov 25, 2019|work=Coronado Eagle & Journal}}</ref>

On March 26, 2020, the hotel closed temporarily, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 epidemic]]. This was the first time in the property's 132-year history that it had closed its doors to guests.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/tourism/story/2020-03-26/hotel-del-coronado-shutting-down-temporarily-for-first-time-in-its-history |title=Hotel Del Coronado shutting down temporarily for first time in its history |date=2020-03-26|website=San Diego Union-Tribune|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref> It reopened on June 26.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/hotel-del-coronado-set-to-reopen-after-first-closure-in-132-year-history/2350267/ | title=Hotel del Coronado Reopens After First Closure in 132-Year History | date=June 19, 2020 }}</ref>

In 2021, the hotel's historic main lobby, front facade, and front veranda were restored, for $14 million.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 28, 2021 |title=Step Inside the Newly Renovated Hotel del Coronado Lobby |url=https://www.taberco.net/post/step-inside-the-newly-renovated-hotel-del-coronado-lobby}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://ranchandcoast.com/explore/hotel-del-coronado-restoration/ | title=Hotel del Coronado unveils a stunning façade, veranda, and lobby restoration | date=May 4, 2022 }}</ref> In 2022, the hotel opened a new wing, Shore House at the Del, featuring 75 one-, two- and three-bedroom residential-style units.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hoteldel.com/press/hotel-del-coronado-announces-the-opening-of-its-new-luxury-oceanfront-hotel-shore-house-at-the-del/ | title=Hotel del Coronado Announces the Opening of its New Luxury Oceanfront Hotel, Shore House at the del }}</ref> The historic main wing closed in January 2024 for one year for a more than $160 million renovation, the final portion of the resort's $550 million makeover.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sdtoday.6amcity.com/development/hotel-del-coronado-will-spend-160-million-to-restore-historic-victorian-building | title=Hotel del Coronado will spend $160 million to restore historic Victorian building | date=October 17, 2023 }}</ref> The upgrades encompass all Victorian guest rooms, suites, and event spaces, including the Crown Room.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-10-17 |title=Hotel del Coronado to Begin Historic Victorian Building Renovation |url=https://coronadotimes.com/news/2023/10/16/hotel-del-coronado-to-begin-historic-victorian-building-renovation/ |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Coronado Times |language=en}}</ref> The remodeled guest rooms reopened throughout 2025.<ref>[https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/02/07/hotel-del-shut-down-367-guestrooms-over-a-year-ago-theyre-about-to-reopen-with-a-few-surprises/ Hotel del Coronado shut down 367 guestrooms over a year ago. They're about to reopen — with a few surprises.]</ref> Renovations were completed in June 2025.<ref>https://www.hotelmanagement.net/renovations/hotel-del-coronado-completes-550m-restoration</ref>

== Notable guests == Notable guests of the hotel include [[Thomas Edison]], [[Marilyn Monroe]], [[L. Frank Baum]], [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[King Kalakaua]] of Hawaii,<ref>{{cite book|title=Lost Kingdom Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure|first=Julia Flynn|last=Siler|page=169}}</ref> [[Vincent Price]], [[Babe Ruth]], [[James Stewart]], [[Bette Davis]], and [[Katharine Hepburn]]. More recent guests include [[Kevin Costner]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]], [[Gene Hackman]], [[George Harrison]], [[Keanu Reeves]], [[Brad Pitt]], [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]], [[Barbra Streisand]], and [[Oprah Winfrey]].<ref name=hollywood>{{cite web| url=http://www.hoteldel.com/PressReleaseTemplate.aspx?id=1370| publisher=Hotel del Coronado| work=Press Releases| title=The Hollywood Connection| date=2008-10-08| access-date=2013-02-19| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130144507/http://hoteldel.com/PressReleaseTemplate.aspx?id=1370| archive-date=2013-01-30}}</ref>

The following [[President of the United States|presidents]] have stayed at the hotel: [[Benjamin Harrison]], [[William Howard Taft]], [[Woodrow Wilson]], [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], [[Richard Nixon]], [[Gerald Ford]], [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Bill Clinton]], and [[George W. Bush]].<ref name=":0" />

The hotel is also known for hosting weddings and is often cited as one of California's most expensive wedding locations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-20 |title=The Best Beach Hotels To Get Married At Around The World, According To Wedding Planners |url=https://www.travelandleisureasia.com/hk/weddings-and-honeymoons/destination/the-best-beach-hotels-to-get-married/ |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=Travel and Leisure Asia {{!}} Hong Kong |language=en-HK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Most Expensive Luxury Wedding Venues in SoCal {{!}} LaJolla.com |url=https://lajolla.com/article/most-expensive-luxury-wedding-venues-southern-california/ |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=lajolla.com}}</ref> The wedding capacity is about 300 people, with several event spaces for guests. It has been used as a wedding venue by celebrities, and basketball player [[LeBron James]] considered the hotel as a wedding location in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-20 |title='Bachelorette' Alum Becca Kufrin Marries Thomas Jacobs After Giving Birth to First Child |url=https://www.cbs8.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/bachelorette-alum-becca-kufrin-marries-thomas-jacobs-after-giving-birth-to-first-child/603-58714fca-509d-44c0-b24b-401e93f72b4e |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=cbs8.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-09-17 |title=LeBron James Says 'I Do' in Wedding, But Not in Coronado |url=https://patch.com/california/coronado/lebron-james-says-i-do-in-wedding-but-not-in-coronado |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=Coronado, CA Patch |language=en}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==

=== Films === The hotel was first featured in a film when it was used as a backdrop for ''[[The Married Virgin]]'' (1918). Since then, it has been featured in at least 13 other films, including ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (1959), where it represented the "Seminole Ritz" in southern Florida; [[Dollars (film)|''$'']] (1971); ''[[Wicked, Wicked]]'' (1973), which was completely filmed on location there; ''[[The Stunt Man]]'' (1980); [[The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything (film)|''The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything'']] (1980); and ''[[My Blue Heaven (1990 American film)|My Blue Heaven]]'' (1990).<ref name="Gordon01">{{cite book |last=Gordon |first=William A. |year=1995 |title=Shot On This Site: A Travelers Guide to the Places and Locations Used to Film Famous Movies and TV Shows |publisher=Citadel Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c2tZY-i6aa8C&q=Hotel+Del+Coronado&pg=PA3-IA6|location=US |isbn=0-306-81297-5 |ref=Gordon01 |page=274}}</ref>

The science historian [[James Burke (science historian)|James Burke]] filmed his special ''The Neuron Suite'' at the Coronado.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Neuron Suite |website = [[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inF3nPFmo64 |access-date=December 7, 2012 |year=1981 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411005747/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inF3nPFmo64 |archive-date=April 11, 2014 }}</ref>

The Hotel del Coronado was the primary location for the filming of the fantasy-comedy feature film ''[[Daydream Hotel]]'', which had its world premiere at the 1st Annual [[Coronado Island Film Festival]] in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://coronadousd.net/news/daydream-hotel-will-be-first-movie-filmed-at-hotel-del-coronado-in-40-years/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003164726/http://coronadousd.net/news/daydream-hotel-will-be-first-movie-filmed-at-hotel-del-coronado-in-40-years/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-10-03|title=Daydream Hotel will be first movie filmed at Hotel del Coronado in 40 years|date=August 2015|work=Coronado Unified School District News|access-date=30 September 2016}}</ref>

=== Literature === * In ''Moran of the "Lady Letty": A Story of Adventure Off the California Coast'' (1898) by [[Frank Norris]], a shanghaied San Francisco dandy wins in a showdown against a Chinese triad gang on the shore of the [[Baja California Peninsula]], teaching them the lesson: "Don't try to fight with white people."<ref name="imperialism">{{cite book|last1=Eperjesi|first1=John|title=The Imperialist Imaginary: Visions of Asia and the Pacific in American Culture|date=2014|publisher=Dartmouth College Press|page=80}}</ref> Triumphant, the protagonist sails to [[San Diego]] and makes a dramatic appearance at a society soiree in the hotel's "incomparable round ballroom".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Norris|first1=Frank|title=Moran of the Lady Letty|date=1898|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/321/321-h/321-h.htm}}</ref> * [[L. Frank Baum]] did much of his writing at the hotel and is said to have based his design for the [[Emerald City]] on it,<ref name=Baum01>{{cite book |last=Rogers |first=Katharine M. |year=2003 |title=L. Frank Baum: Creator of Oz |publisher=Da Capo Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iiNpf6nVKMsC&q=Hotel+Del+Coronado&pg=PA131 |location=US |isbn=0-306-81297-5 |ref=Baum01 |page=336 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> though other sources say the Emerald City was inspired by the "White City" of the [[World's Columbian Exposition|Chicago World's Fair of 1893]].<ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0830-lit-life-ozaug30,0,3497755.column Chicago Tribune, August 30, 2009]</ref><ref>Larson, Erik, ''The Devil in the White City'', page 373, Vintage Books, New York, 2003, {{ISBN|0-375-72560-1}}</ref> * [[Ambrose Bierce]] used the hotel as the setting for his short story "An Heiress From Redhorse".<ref>[http://www.online-literature.com/bierce/173/ "An Heiress From Redhorse"]</ref> * It was the setting for [[Richard Matheson]]'s novel ''[[Bid Time Return]]'' (1975), but in the movie version, ''[[Somewhere in Time (film)|Somewhere in Time]]'' (1980), the story setting and filming were moved to the [[Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island)|Grand Hotel]] on [[Mackinac Island]], Michigan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hall of History |url=https://www.somewhereintime.tv/history.htm |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=www.somewhereintime.tv}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shiels |first=Michael Patrick |title=Relive 'Somewhere in Time' at Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshiels/2016/05/24/the-worst-cult-movie-ever-shot-in-the-grandest-location/ |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> * In [[Michael Connelly]]'s 2016 novel ''The Wrong Side of Goodbye'', protagonist Harry Bosh finds the negative of a photograph taken in front of the hotel of a woman holding a baby, allowing him to identify the town and date.

=== Music === * The Hotel del Coronado is the setting of the [[Dashboard Confessional]] song "Stolen".

=== Stage productions === Each December since 1994, Lamb's Players Theatre and the hotel have presented ''An American Christmas'', a three-hour "Feast & Celebration" set 100 years earlier, in the hotel's ballroom.

The [[Some Like It Hot (musical)|stage musical adaptation of ''Some Like It Hot'']] takes place at the hotel.

=== Television === The hotel stood in for the fictional Mansfield House during host segments of the [[NBC]] [[anthology series]] ''[[Ghost Story (TV series)|Ghost Story]]'' in 1972. The storylines of ''[[Baywatch]]'' season 4, episodes 14 and 15, called "Coronado del Soul" Parts 1 and 2, evolve in and around the hotel.

The grounds and some interior areas were used in three episodes of [[Antiques Roadshow]] in February and April 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12340930/?ref_=ttep_ep6|title=Hotel del Coronado 3|website=[[IMDb]]}}</ref>

=== Postage stamp === The hotel is featured on a US postage stamp honoring director [[Billy Wilder]], with images of [[Marilyn Monroe]] and the hotel from ''[[Some Like It Hot]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Marks|first=Scott|title=Some Lick It Hot: Hotel Del Coronado Celebrates Billy Wilder Stamp|url=http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/big-screen/2012/may/23/some-lick-it-hot-hotel-del-coronado-celebrates-bil/|publisher=San Diego Reader|access-date=2012-05-24|date=2012-05-23}}</ref>

=== Video games === The hotel appears in the background of the San Diego level in the Sega Genesis game ''[[Skitchin']]'' (1994).<ref>{{cite video game |title=Skitchin' |publisher= |date=1994 |platform=Sega Genesis|developer=Electronic Arts}}</ref>

== Gallery == {{wide image|HotelDelCoronado-panorama.jpg|900px|View from the surf showing the Beach Village to the left, the Victorian Building in the center, and the California Cabanas and Ocean Towers to the right}}

<gallery class="center" widths="267" heights="225"> File:Hotel del Coronado Front.jpg|Front of the Hotel del Coronado File:HotelDelCoronado-DragonTree.jpg|[[Dracaena (plant)|Dragon Tree]] located at the Hotel del Coronado File:2019 Bluewater Boathouse, Coronado.jpg|The hotel's former boathouse on Glorietta Bay is now a restaurant. File:2019 Hotel del Coronado from beach.jpg|View from Coronado Beach of the main building File:Hotel del Coronado swimming pool.jpg|The Hotel del Coronado swimming pool File:CoronadoDelCoronadoHotel CoronadoCalifornia.jpg|Pool view </gallery>

== See also == {{Portal|California|Hotels}} * [[Thomas Gardiner (publisher)|Thomas Gardiner]], Coronado Beach Company advertising manager in the 1890s * [[Charles T. Hinde]], board member of the Hotel del Coronado, vice president of the Spreckels Brothers Commercial Company, railroad executive, and steamboat captain. * [[Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa]], a 1988 hotel whose exterior architecture is based on the Hotel Del Coronado * [[Grand Rapids Hotel]], a 1922 hotel built by Frederick Hinde Zimmerman, the nephew of Captain Charles T. Hinde, one of the original investors of the Hotel del Coronado.

== References == '''Notes''' {{Reflist}}

'''Further reading''' * {{cite book |last=Morrow |first=Thomas J. |year=1984 |title=Hotel Del Coronado |publisher=Hotel del Coronado |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gs0HAQAACAAJ&q=Hotel+del+Coronado |location=US |isbn=0-917859-02-2 |ref=Morrow01 |page=70 |access-date=1 October 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} * Nolan, John Matthew "2,543 Days: A History of the Hotel at the Grand Rapids Dam on the Wabash River" Discusses Charles T. Hinde, one of the silent investors of Hotel del Coronado and how Hotel del Coronado influenced the [[Grand Rapids Hotel]] in [[Wabash County, Illinois]]. * {{cite web|title=The Lady Who Lives By The Sea |url=http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/66january/ladybysea.htm |last=Ormsby |first=Burke |work= The Journal of San Diego History |publisher=San Diego Historical Society| year=1966| access-date=1 October 2010}} * {{cite book |last=Starr |first=Kevin |year=2002 |title=The Dream Endures: California Enters the 1940s |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9HnIh_auw9MC&q=Hotel+Del+Coronado&pg=PA97|location=New York |isbn=0-19-515797-4 |ref=Starr01 |page=496| access-date=1 October 2010}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} * {{Official website}} * [http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/83summer/lady.htm Journal of San Diego History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225121716/http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/83summer/lady.htm |date=2012-02-25 }} historic photographs of the hotel * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060321130657/http://travel2.nytimes.com/top/features/travel/destinations/unitedstates/california/sandiego/sight_details.html?vid=1083747037810 ''New York Times'' review] of Hotel del Coronado

[[Category:Hotels in San Diego]] [[Category:Coronado, California]] [[Category:Culture of San Diego]] [[Category:Landmarks in San Diego]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in San Diego County, California]] [[Category:Companies based in San Diego County, California]] [[Category:History of San Diego County, California]] [[Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1888]] [[Category:Hotels established in 1888]] [[Category:Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California]] [[Category:National Register of Historic Places in San Diego County, California]] [[Category:National Historic Landmarks in California]] [[Category:1888 establishments in California]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in San Diego County, California]] [[Category:Reid & Reid buildings]] [[Category:Queen Anne architecture in California]] [[Category:Victorian architecture in California]] [[Category:Historic Hotels of America]] [[Category:Reportedly haunted hotels]] [[Category:Reportedly haunted locations in California]]