Hotel del Coronado
A Victorian Landmark Through Three Generations of Memories
My first visit to Hotel del Coronado was in 1998. I was 23 years old, fresh out of San Diego State University, working at an accounting firm downtown. The company retreat was held at this hotel. I remember the room rate was $189 per night back then. Four of us colleagues split two rooms.
The hotel's red roof stands out brilliantly in the sunlight. You can see it from Interstate 5 as you cross the Coronado Bridge. The building is made of wood, built in 1888, requiring over 2,000 workers to complete. I once saw an old photograph in the lobby showing workers standing in front of the unfinished frame.
The iconic red-roofed Victorian architecture visible from the Coronado Bridge
The hotel sits at the southern tip of the Coronado Peninsula, facing the Pacific Ocean. It spans 28 acres and has 757 guest rooms. The main building is Victorian architecture, all-wood construction, and was the largest resort hotel west of the Mississippi River when it was completed. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. Marilyn Monroe filmed "Some Like It Hot" here in 1958, and Edison personally came to install the electric lighting system in 1904. The hotel staff shares these stories with every new guest.
The Wedding
I got married in 2003, and the wedding was held in the hotel's garden. My wife is a Coronado native. As a child, she would come to the hotel with her family every Christmas to see the holiday decorations. Her mother worked as a waitress at the hotel's restaurant in 1962, earning $1.15 per hour plus tips. It rained on our wedding day, and the hotel staff moved the ceremony to the Crown Room. No extra charge.
The Crown Room with its famous 33-foot sugar pine ceiling and crown-shaped chandeliers designed by L. Frank Baum
Changing Hands
The hotel has changed quite a bit over the years. It was acquired by KSL in 2001, then later sold to Blackstone. Hilton took over management in 2019, renaming it Hotel del Coronado, Curio Collection by Hilton. Long-time guests have opinions about this. I saw someone on TripAdvisor who wrote a lengthy review saying the hotel had "lost its soul." I understand that feeling.
I've counted—from 1998 to now, I've stayed at this hotel 31 times. Sometimes for business, sometimes for family vacations, sometimes just wanting a change of scenery for the weekend. Room rates have risen from $189 to over $600 during peak season now. I've kept all my receipts, stored in a folder. My wife says I have a problem.
Room 3327
The hotel has a legend about a woman named Kate Morgan who died here in 1892, and her ghost remains. The room number is 3327 (formerly 302). In 2016, I specifically booked this room and stayed one night. Nothing happened. The bed was a bit firm, the air conditioning was loud, that's it. The next morning I asked the front desk if anyone had reported anything strange. The young man said people ask every month, but he'd never heard from colleagues about actually seeing anything.
The Public Beach
The hotel's beach is public, not privately owned by the hotel. Many people don't know this. You can walk in from the beach, buy a drink at the hotel's outdoor bar, and sit in a beach chair. You don't need to be a guest. Sometimes on Sunday afternoons I drive over and just sit there, watching planes take off from North Island Naval Air Station. A beer now costs $14.
The public beach with views of the hotel and Navy planes taking off from North Island
The Renovation
In 2018, the hotel began a major renovation project with a budget of around $200 million. They built a new tower next to the main building called Shore House. I visited the model unit—modern style, completely different from the old building. The salesperson told me a two-bedroom unit sells for over $3 million. I asked how sales were going; he said 60% had already sold.
The Collection
I have a habit—every time I visit the hotel, I buy something from the Gift Shop. I've bought mugs, keychains, postcards, T-shirts, a bathrobe (that one cost $150). Now there's a drawer at home dedicated to these items. My son asks why I buy these useless things. I can't explain the specific reason.
The hotel breakfast used to be included in the room rate, but that stopped after 2008. Now the breakfast buffet costs $49 per person, before tax and tip. I usually go to Clayton's Coffee Shop on Orange Avenue instead—a $6 egg platter, open since 1984, still the same owner.
The historic Victorian lobby with its preserved period details and the fireplace that looks the same as in 1955
Last Thanksgiving, I took my father for a visit. He's 81 now, and his legs aren't so good. I pushed him around the hotel in a wheelchair. He sat by the fireplace in the lobby for a long time, saying this fireplace looks exactly the same as when he came in 1955. That year he came with his Navy buddies, just back from Korea. He remembers the room rate was $12 a night.