Oldest wooden hotel on the West Coast finally finishes $550M renovation

The luxurious pool at the Hotel del Coronado is open for guests to enjoy. (Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado)

After six years and periodic closures, the historically significant Hotel del Coronado near San Diego has finally completed major renovations. 

The Del, considered the oldest wooden hotel on the West Coast, began what would ultimately amount to a $550 million restoration in 2018, according to local San Diego news station KGTV. Among the major projects was renovating the 137-year-old Victorian building, the hotel's centerpiece with its red roof shaped like a witch's hat. Hotel owner Blackstone Real Estate reportedly spent $160 million to renovate the Victorian building alone, boosting the number of rooms from 367 to 404 guestrooms. 

The renovated Hotel Del lobby was included in the renovation projects. (Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado)

The renovation of the new porch at Hotel del Coronado finished in 2021. (Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado)

"The Victorian building is the most widely recognized part of this historic property," Sanjiv Hulugalle, former managing director of the Hotel del Coronado, wrote in a news release.

The Hotel del Coronado sits on 28 acres adjacent to the Pacific Ocean and is marketed as the "only beachfront meeting space in San Diego." The hotel includes seaside villas and cottages but the main attraction is the Victorian building. During construction, the Del discovered original ceiling fresco secco from artists William Busch and Jacob Gumpertz in 1888, the year the hotel first opened. The ceiling fresco was "painstakingly restored" and is now part the Ocean Ballroom, one of three ballrooms in the historic building.

Refurbished rooms in the Victorian building are now available for reservations (Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado)

The Victorian building and its waterfall in front. (Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado)

"The reality is [the Victorian Building] was old and needed a restoration," JP Oliver, the resort's managing director, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "It also has a cult following, so you didn't know what to expect."

Other rooms in the hotel also got a facelift. The Beach Village, Cabanas and Views neighborhoods all reopened in previous phases. And the Shore House is the newest neighborhood, having opened in 2022.

A new entrance to the hotel was meant to deliver a much grander sense of arrival, harkening back to the early days of the Del when guests arrived via rail car. (Courtesy of Hotel del Coronado)

The hotel made several upgrades to its fitness center and main entrance, and opened two new restaurants - Veranda and a location of the popular Japanese chain Nobu.

Oliver told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the hotel is now charging $300 more for rooms than before the renovation. The room rates include a fee which covers internet access, beach yoga, meditation classes, streaming services and a discount on tickets to the USS Midway, San Diego Zoo and whale watching excursions.

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