Hotel Del in Coronado

The Hotel del Coronado is a beachfront luxury hotel in the city of Coronado, just across the San Diego Bay from San Diego, California. It is one of the few surviving examples of an American architectural genre: the wooden Victorian beach resort. It is one of the oldest and largest all-wooden buildings in California and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. When it opened in 1888, it was the largest resort hotel in the world, and the first to utilize electrical lighting. It has hosted presidents, royalty and celebrities throughout the years. The hotel has been featured in numerous movies and books. The hotel received the Four Diamond rating by AAA, and was listed by USA Today as one of the "Top 10 Resorts In The World".

San Diego Land Boom

In the mid 1880s, the San Diego region was in the midst of one of its first real estate booms. At that time, it was common for a developer to build a grand hotel as a draw for what would otherwise be a barren landscape. The Raymond Hotel in Pasadena, the Del Monte in Monterey and the Hotel Redondo in Redondo Beach California were three similar grand hotels built as development enticements during this era. On December 19, 1885, Elisha S. Babcock, retired railroad executive from Evansville, Indiana; Hampton L. Story, of the Story and Clark Piano Company of Chicago; and Jacob Gruendike, president of the First National Bank of San Diego, bought all of Coronado and North Island for $110,000.

Main building of the Hotel del Coronado

A 24-page prospectus titled "Coronado Beach. San Diego, California" asserted that "The Coronado Beach Company has been organized with a capital of One Million Dollars." The officers were Babcock, Story and Gruendike. Also involved with the company at this early stage were three men from Indiana: railroad baron Josephus Collett of Terre Haute; lumber merchant Heber Ingle of Patoka and John Inglehart, a miller, who later became famous through the development of Swansdown flour. The men hired architect James Reid, a native of New Brunswick, Canada, who had practiced in Evansville and Terre Haute. His younger brother Merritt Reid, a partner in Reid Brothers, the Evansville firm, stayed in Indiana but brother Watson Reid helped supervise the 2,000 laborers. Babcock's visions for the hotel were grand: "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 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."

Construction of the Hotel del Coronado

Construction of the hotel began in March, 1887 "on a sandspit populated by jack rabbits and coyotes". Among numerous problems to overcome if the hotel were ever to be built was the absence of lumber and labor in the San Diego area. The lumber problem was solved with contracts for exclusive rights to the West's largest lumber company, Dolbeer and Carson. Planing mills were built on site to finish the raw lumber shipped from the north. Labor was provided largely by Chinese immigrants from San Francisco and Oakland. Reid's plans were constantly being revised and added to. To deal with fire hazards, a freshwater pipeline was run under San Diego Bay. Water tanks and gravity flow sprinklers were installed. Reid installed the world's first oil furnace in the new hotel. Electric lighting in a hotel was also a world first. The electric wires were ran inside the gas lines, so if the "new-fangled" electricity didn't work, they could always pipe illuminating gas into the rooms. Thomas Edison inspected the final electrical installation and returned in 1904 to oversee the nation's first illuminated outdoor Christmas tree, which was placed on the hotel's lawn. The Crown Room was Reid's masterpiece. Its wooden ceiling was installed with pegs and glue. Not a single nail was used.

Grand Opening of The Hotel Del Coronado

For the hotel's opening for business in February, 1888, 1,440 San Diegans traveled across the bay. News reports of the new grand hotel were wired across the county. But, just as the hotel was nearing completion, Southern California's land boom had turned bust. Babcock and Story needed additional funds at a time when many people were deserting San Diego. Babcock turned to sugar magnate John D. Spreckels, who loaned them $100,000 to finish the hotel. By 1890 Spreckels bought out both Babcock and Story. The Spreckels family retained ownership of the hotel until 1948.

Hotel Del Coronado a World-Class Hotel

The original grounds had many amenities, including an Olympic-sized salt water pool, tennis courts and a yacht club (known affectionately as the "Baby Del") 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.

Coronado Del Hollywood's Connections

The hotel's popularity was already established by the 1920s. It had already hosted Presidents Harrison, McKinley, Taft and Wilson. By the 1920s Hollywood's stars and starlets discovered that "the Del" was the "in place" to stay. Many celebrities made their way south to party during the era of Prohibition, and used the Hotel Del as their personal playground. Tom Mix,Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, and Ramon Navarro were a few of the many actors who stayed at the hotel during a weekend getaway.

The Hotel Del Coronado Today

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 While retaining its classic Victorian looks, the hotel continues to upgrade its facilities to remain an attractive destination for vacationers and conventioneers. In 2003, Travelers sold the property to current owners CNL Hospitality Properties Inc. and KSL Recreation Corp (CNL/KSL). The current ownership group completed a $10 million upgrade of 381 rooms in June, 2005. In July 2005, the hotel got approval to construct up to 37 limited-term occupancy cottages and villas on the property. They also received approval to add up to 205 additional rooms.

Hotel Del Activities and Amenities

There are numerous activities for guests to enjoy from the beach and the pool, to sailing, surfing, boating, biking and golf. The hotel is also equipped with a fitness center and personal training services. There are also special activities for kids and teens. Guests can also be pampered at the state-of-the-art spa and Yamaguchi Salon. "Shops At The Del" has made the hotel a unique shopping destination, with a number of specialty shops and boutiques on site. Most recently, the Del has opened Beach Village at the Del. Beach Village consists of twelve beach front villas with special amenities including Bose surround sound systems and docking stations, large flat-panel televisions, private pools and fire pits, whirlpool baths, and personalized concierge services. Beach Village villas feature dining and living spaces with fully-equipped kitchens and appliances, fireplaces, spa-style baths with soaking tubs, and private terraces. A number of fine dining and causal restaurants are found on the grounds of the Hotel del. Opened in 2006, 1500 Ocean is the newest restaurant at the hotel, serving a "Southland Coastal cuisine". It was included in Bon Appetit magazines "Best Dish Of 2007" issue. Sheerwater is located on the beachfront terraces. It offers regional and traditional fare in a casual, outdoor setting. The famed 10,000 square foot Crown Room was traditionally the formal dining venue at the hotel. It's large domed ceiling is untethered by any poles, and its entire roof is held together with wooden pegs. The crown-shaped chandeliers were designed by L. Frank Baum. It is now opened on Sundays only for brunch. It was voted the Best Sunday Brunch by San Diego Magazine in the June 2008 issue. Babcock & Story is a bar located on the lower level. It features the original 46-foot handcrafted mahogany bar, which was shipped to Coronado around Cape Horn in 1888.

 

Source - Wikipedia.org