Hotel Del Coronado Aerial Photo

San Diego and the Coronado Connection

Posted by: Travel Into History

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The lure of the Hotel Del

Heading across the wide sweep of the Coronado Bay Bridge from the City of San Diego puts you on Coronado Island in minutes. And it’s just another short drive from there to the Hotel Del Coronado, one of the most beautiful and historic hotels in the nation. You’ll feel the history all around you, even if you only go for lunch or dinner. But reserving accommodations and spending more time at The Del will enable you to enjoy the kind of pampering this hotel’s staff has been providing to guests since the grand opening in 1888.

Seeing the potential     

The founders of the Hotel Del Coronado not only envisioned the potential for a seaside resort but also for an entire Coronado community. They bought the island, chose the site for the hotel, then laid out civic areas, parks, commercial zones and streets for the rest of Coronado. They also established a ferry company, a railroad company, a water company and an electrical power plant.

Fit for royalty and more

The Hotel Del Coronado became an instant success. In addition to its handsome architecture, luxurious appointments and marvelous landscaping, The Del was reported to be one of the largest electrified buildings in the nation. The hotel also had steam-powered hydraulic elevators, a modern fire sprinkler system and telephone service. The beautiful Crown Room with its 33-foot-high ceiling paneled in Oregon sugar pine was a suitable backdrop for celebrities. In 1920, the Prince of Wales attended a banquet held in his honor in this room. In 1927, it was Charles Lindbergh’s turn to be feted following his solo trans-Atlantic flight. Benjamin Harrison and William Howard Taft were the first U.S. presidents to enjoy visiting the Hotel Del Coronado.

Rooming with a ghost

On Thanksgiving Day 1892, a young woman in her mid-twenties by the name of Kate Morgan checked into the Hotel Del giving the name Lottie A. Bernard. Reports are that she was married but came to the hotel to rendezvous with a lover who never appeared. Five days after she checked in, she was found on an outside staircase leading to the beach having died from a gunshot wound to the head. In the decades since, many people claim to have seen Kate’s ghost, a lovely, fleeting vision. And some guests who have stayed in the room she once occupied say they have experienced peculiar goings-on, such as unaccountable breezes and a television that turns off and on by itself, sudden room temperature fluctuations and doors that randomly open and close. Hers is not a vengeful spirit but gentle and somewhat capricious. And Kate’s room is the most requested room in the hotel.

Around town

If you become a guest of the Hotel Del Coronado, you may be reluctant to leave its confines. But remember that San Diego is just across the bay—and the drive across the Coronado Bay Bridge is spectacular. There is so much to enjoy, including harbor sight-seeing tours, the shops at Seaport Village, a tour of the USS Midway aircraft carrier, Balboa Park and, of course, the world-famous San Diego Zoo. You can always return to the Hotel in time to enjoy a stroll on the beach followed by a wonderful dinner in another world-famous spot: the elegant and historic Hotel Del Coronado.

Enjoy your visit as you travel into history!