L-O Coronado Hotel Inc history

Although digging the foundation had begun in January 1887, construction on The Del did not begin until after the historic groundbreaking ceremony.

Opened in February 1888, Hotel del Coronado debuted as an architectural masterpiece, acclaimed for its spectacular seaside setting and world-famous weather.

In 1890, their dream realized, Babcock and Story sold The Del to their most loyal and generous investor, John D. Spreckels.

1891: President Benjamin Harrison and his first wife, Caroline Scott, had breakfast at the Hotel del Coronado with California Governor Henry H. Markham and Mexican politician Luis E. Torres.

Between January 20 and April 20, 1892, a little girl named Noel wrote a series of remarkable letters to her cousins back East, describing all of the wonderful things she saw and did while spending the season at Hotel del Coronado in Southern California.

1900: Hotel del Coronado opened its renowned “Tent City”—a campground composed of many luxurious tents meant for those who could not afford the expensive rates at the main building.

In 1904, The Del – already considered a technological marvel – made history when it unveiled the world’s first electrically lit, outdoor, living Christmas tree.

Allan Dwan was the first professional director to shoot an actual movie on the grounds, filming a romance story called Maiden and Men in the early 1910s.

President Franklin Roosevelt visited The Del for the first time in 1914, when he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy and made the trip to assess San Diego’s harbor and nearby North Island.

The Roosevelts had a long history of visiting the destination, with the President’s first trip occurring in 1915 while he was serving as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

The Hotel Redondo was another San Diego beach resort built two years later, but it closed in 1925.

Aviator Charles Lindbergh was honored at The Del on September 21, 1927, following his solo trans-Atlantic flight from New York to France.

1935: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, booked a stay at the Hotel del Coronado in order to attend that year’s California Pacific International Exposition.

Though rumors persist that they met during the prince’s stay at The Del, the Duchess of Windsor herself confirmed they didn’t meet until 10 years later, with the prince abdicating the throne to be with her in 1936.

When Bing Crosby built the famous Del Mar racetrack in 1938, it was yet another draw to the area for Hollywood.

Entertainers continued their legacy with the hotel, stepping into ownership in 1948 when Bennie Goodman, the Big Band leader, purchased the hotel and owned it for a dozen years.

In 1950, Lucille ball and Dezi Arnaz stayed at the hotel to practice their traveling comedy routine and it was there that they created the “Ricky and Lucy” characters America came to love.

1958: Director Billy Wilder chose the Hotel del Coronado to serve as the setting for his classic film, Some Like It Hot.

In the 1960's, there were plans to demolish the hotel and redevelop the area, but the owners at that time were convinced otherwise, eventually doubling its size and refurbishing the property.

On September 3, 1970, President Richard Nixon hosted the first state dinner held outside of the White House at Hotel del Coronado.

Photo above: Hotel del Coronado, 1971, Historic American Buildings Survey.

Yes, the Hotel del Coronado is a wooden Victorian beach resort, the second biggest wooden structure in the United States (Tillamook Air Museum in Oregon is the largest), and has been a National Historic Register building since 1977.

1983: Hotel del Coronado acquired a historic hotel known as “The Oxford.” Originally constructed around the same time as "The Del," The Oxford was Coronado’s first hotel—it had even housed the architects who worked on the Hotel del Coronado.

Carter also stayed at the historic hotel in 1989 in conjunction with a Habitat for Humanity project.

1996: Following Larry Lawrence’s death, his family sold the entire location to the Travelers Group.

Known more commonly as “Travelers,” the corporation was—and still is—one of the largest American insurance companies. It then began a $55 million renovation of the hotel in 2001.

Hotel del Coronado at the time had been previously owned by CNL Hospitality Properties, which had acquired the building from the Travelers Group in 2003.

2006: Blackstone Group became the majority owner of the hotel, with Strategic Hotels & Resorts and KSL Resorts acting as partners.

Despite the focus on preserving The Del’s historic Victorian look, the hotel has always endeavored to keep up with the luxuries of the time and, in 2007, Beach Village at The Hotel Del Coronado opened.

In March 2016, Blackstone sold Strategic Hotels & Resorts to Anbang Insurance Group, a Beijing-based Chinese insurance company, in a $6.5 billion deal involving 16 luxury American hotel properties including the Hotel del Coronado.

2018 has been a special year for The Del in that it marks the hotel’s 130th anniversary.