Hotel del Coronado facts for kids
| Hotel del Coronado | |
Quick facts for kids  Aerial view of Hotel del Coronado, 2016 |
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| Hotel facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | United States |
| Coordinates | 32°40′51″N 117°10′42″W / 32.6809°N 117.1784°W |
| Address | |
| Opening date | February 19, 1888 137 years ago |
| Architect | Reid & Reid |
| Management | Curio Collection by Hilton |
| Owner | The Blackstone Group |
| No. of restaurants | 7 |
| No. of rooms | 757 |
| of which suites | Junior Suites Victorian Suites Signature Suite Resort Suites Beach Village cottages Beach Village Cottages & Villas |
| No. of floors | 7 |
Hotel del Coronado, often called The Del, is a famous hotel right on the beach in Coronado, California. This city is just across the San Diego Bay from San Diego. It's one of the last big wooden Victorian hotels left in America.
The Hotel del Coronado is the second largest wooden building in the United States. It was named a California Historical Landmark in 1970. Later, in 1977, it became a National Historic Landmark.
When it first opened in 1888, it was the biggest resort hotel in the whole world! Many famous people, like presidents, kings, and movie stars, have stayed there. You might have even seen it in movies or read about it in books. It's known as one of the best resorts anywhere.
A Look Back: The Hotel's Story
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Building a Dream Hotel
In the mid-1880s, the San Diego area was growing fast. People were buying and selling land quickly. It was common for developers to build a huge, fancy hotel. This would attract more people to buy land in the area. Other grand hotels like the Hollywood Hotel and the Hotel Del Monte were built this way.
The Coronado Beach Company
In November 1885, five smart investors bought all of Coronado and North Island. This was about 4,000 acres of land. The main investors were E. S. Babcock, a retired railroad boss, and Hampton L. Story, from a piano company.
In April 1886, Babcock and Story started the Coronado Beach Company. They also created other businesses to help Coronado grow. The Coronado Ferry Company built docks and started ferry service to San Diego. The Coronado Water Company brought fresh water to the island. The Coronado Railroad Company built train tracks around Coronado. The hotel even had one of the biggest power plants in California. It provided electricity to the whole town until the 1920s.
The men hired an architect named James W. Reid. His brother, Watson Reid, helped manage the 2,000 workers needed for the project.
Babcock's Big Idea
Babcock had a grand vision for the hotel. He wanted it to be built around a beautiful garden with tropical plants. The main entrance would open to Glorietta Bay, with porches for guests to relax. On the ocean side, there would be a tall tower and a long walkway leading to the beach. The dining room would be separate, offering amazing views of the ocean, bay, and city.
Construction Challenges
Building the hotel started in March 1887. The area was mostly sand and wild animals. One big problem was finding enough wood and workers in San Diego. They solved the wood problem by getting all their lumber from a large company in Eureka, California. They even built sawmills on site to prepare the wood. To get bricks and concrete, Reid built his own kilns. He also set up a metal shop.
Most of the workers were Chinese immigrants from San Francisco and Oakland. The Crown Room, a masterpiece by Reid, had a wooden ceiling built without a single nail. It was held together with pegs and glue! Kate Sessions, a famous landscaper, designed the hotel's gardens.
Keeping Guests Safe from Fire
Reid was always adding new ideas to his plans. To prevent fires, a freshwater pipeline was built under San Diego Bay. Water tanks and sprinklers were installed. He also built two huge concrete tanks in the basement to store rainwater. These tanks were never used for rainwater, but they were handy for hiding drinks during a time when alcohol was not allowed.
The hotel also had the world's first oil furnace. It was also the first hotel in the world to have electric lighting! The electric wires were put inside the gas lines. This way, if the electricity failed, they could still use gas lights. Many people think Thomas Edison helped with the electricity, but he didn't. The Mather Electric Company installed it. An old brochure boasted about its "2,500 Mather incandescent electric lamps."
In 1904, the Hotel del Coronado had the world's first outdoor Christmas tree lit with electricity. It was a 50-foot tall pine tree decorated with 250 colorful lights and lanterns.
Grand Opening and Hard Times
The hotel, with 399 rooms, opened in February 1888. About 1,440 people from San Diego came to see it. News of the grand hotel spread across the country. But just as the hotel was almost finished, the land boom in Southern California ended.
Babcock and Story needed more money. Many people were leaving San Diego. Babcock got a loan of $100,000 from Captain Charles T. Hinde and sugar businessman John D. Spreckels. By 1890, Spreckels bought out Babcock and Story. The Spreckels family owned the hotel until 1948.
The hotel grounds had many cool features. There was a huge saltwater pool, tennis courts, and a yacht club. Guests could also enjoy a Japanese tea garden, an ostrich farm, billiards, bowling, hunting trips, and deep-sea fishing.
Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson
On April 7, 1920, Edward, Prince of Wales, visited the hotel. He was honored with a big dinner in the Crown Room. Some people thought he met his future wife, Wallis Spencer (later Wallis Simpson), at this event. She lived in Coronado at the time. However, most historians believe they met much later.
Hollywood's Favorite Place
The hotel was already very popular before the 1920s. Presidents Harrison, McKinley, Taft, and Wilson had stayed there. By the 1920s, Hollywood movie stars loved "the Del." Many celebrities came to party there, especially during the time when alcohol was not allowed.
Famous actors like Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Clark Gable, Mae West, and Katharine Hepburn all stayed at the hotel.
On New Year's Day 1937, during the Great Depression, a gambling ship called the SS Monte Carlo crashed on the beach near the hotel.
World War II
During World War II, many hotels on the West Coast were taken over by the U.S. government. They were used for housing soldiers and as hospitals. The Hotel del Coronado housed many pilots training at the nearby Naval Air Station North Island.
The hotel's manager convinced the Navy not to take over the hotel completely. He explained that many rooms were used by officers' families. He said it might be the last time they would see their loved ones. The Navy agreed, and the hotel was never fully taken over.
The hotel was also set up as a "wartime casualty station." It started a "victory garden" program. They planted vegetables in all the empty spaces around the hotel.
After the War
Barney Goodman bought the hotel in 1948. From the end of World War II until 1960, the hotel started to look old. In 1960, a rich local man named John Alessio bought it. He spent $2 million to fix it up and redecorate. A Hollywood designer helped restore the Grand Ballroom and other areas.
Alessio sold the hotel to M. Larry Lawrence in 1963. Lawrence first planned to tear down the hotel and build new things. But he changed his mind. He spent $150 million to fix up and expand the hotel. He doubled its size to 700 rooms. He also added a big convention center and two tall Ocean Towers.
After Lawrence passed away in 1996, his family sold the hotel. The new owners spent $55 million to upgrade the hotel in 2001. This included making it stronger against earthquakes.
The 21st Century
The hotel still looks like a classic Victorian building, but it keeps getting modern updates. In 2005, it got approval to build new cottages and villas. They also got permission to add more guest rooms.
The hotel has been sold many times between big financial companies. In 2014, Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. became the full owners. In 2015, Blackstone bought Strategic Hotels & Resorts.
In March 2016, Blackstone tried to sell the hotel to a Chinese insurance company called Anbang Insurance Group. But the U.S. government was worried because the hotel is close to major Navy bases. The deal fell through, and Blackstone kept the hotel.
In August 2017, Hilton Hotels and Resorts started managing the Hotel del Coronado. It's now part of their Curio Collection. Blackstone still owns the resort, and its name has not changed.
The hotel began a big renovation and expansion in February 2019. This project will add a new entrance, more guest rooms, parking garages, and another restaurant. The remodel is expected to cost $400 million and last three years.
On March 26, 2020, the hotel temporarily closed because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time in its 132-year history that it closed its doors to guests. The hotel is now open again.
Famous Visitors
Many famous people have stayed at the Hotel del Coronado. These include Marilyn Monroe, L. Frank Baum (who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), Charlie Chaplin, and King Kalakaua of Hawaii. More recently, guests have included Kevin Costner, Whoopi Goldberg, George Harrison, Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt, Madonna, and Oprah Winfrey.
Many U.S. presidents have also stayed at the hotel. These include 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.
Images for kids
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Front of the Hotel del Coronado
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Dragon Tree located at the Hotel del Coronado
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The hotel's former boathouse on Glorietta Bay, now a restaurant
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View from Coronado Beach of the main building
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Hotel del Coronado Swimming Pool
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Pool view.
See also
In Spanish: Hotel del Coronado para niños
