When Elisha Babcock Jr. and Hampton L. Story founded the Hotel del Coronado in 1888, they envisioned building a house that people would visit long after they were gone.
Almost 135 years later, their vision still stands as one of the few remaining Victorian seaside resorts in existence today. Now, the legendary hotel has a newly completed $400 million renovation.
The city of Coronado in 2008 approved the $400 million master plan, which the California Coastal Commission amended and approved two years later. Renovations, however, didn’t begin until 2019, and were completed with the Shore House in September.
The improvements have also created jobs, officials said. But a long-time resident said all the enhancements have priced out locals who once thought of the Del as their own.
Brian Kaufman, managing director at Blackstone Real Estate, said the company’s investment has resulted in “hundreds of local jobs, and we look forward to ensuring that The Del continues to be a top destination for visitors and the community.”
Gina Petrone, Heritage manager at the Hotel del Coronado, said the master plan was a labor of preservation long before it was approved in 2008. She said it was developed when real estate developer Larry Lawrence became the owner in 1963.
“When Larry Lawrence purchased the hotel, it was run down, and it was in danger of being torn down,” said Petrone. “The master plan was developed to protect it, to move it another hundred years.”
As a historian, Petrone views change as inevitable, something that needs to happen in order to stay relevant with the times.
She said every section of the new renovation implements details that pay homage to the past while ensuring the hotel’s relevance for the future. The newly renovated lobby, front porch, Shore House, and Southpointe Event Center were inspired by a design vision that Petrone could encapsulate in one word: Timeless.
The Lobby
The main lobby was restored to honor the hotel’s Victorian history, she said.
Years of paint and lacquer were stripped from the intricate woodwork in order to re-stain it to the original color. The statement chandelier, made from hand blown glass, was replicated to match the old pictures, and even the wall paper, filled with tropical birds, was chosen as an ode to the menagerie that Babcock established on the north lawn in 1897.
The Coronation stained glass window, original to the hotel and relocated to different spaces over the years, is a statement piece for the lobby. Petrone said that all 725 pieces were crafted back together for the renovation.
“The craftsman who restored it spent an entire year on that restoration,” said Denise Chapman, director of marketing at the Del.
The Front Porch
Enclosed since 1961, the front porch made its reappearance in the new renovations.
The railings and wicker rocking chairs may be recognizable from the 1959 film “Some Like it Hot” starring Marilyn Monroe.
David Marshall, preservation architect and president of Heritage Architecture and Planning, made sure to keep the original railings, but added a glass barrier to stay up to code. He also implemented an accessible ramp up the front entrance. Along the veranda, 21 stained glass windows were added, mirroring the four existing originals.
“That sense of wonder and awe that everyone seems to be overcome with when they arrive here is all centered around this historic front entrance,” said Keriann Martin, assistant director of marketing at the hotel. “There’s a feeling that you get that is unique to the Del and that’s why people come back.”
Shore House
Designed by LEO A DALY, the new Shore House provides a luxury hotel experience, featuring 75 rooms curated to replicate a coastal home. The renovation was finished on Sept. 15, complete with a zero-entry pool and private cabanas.
The contemporary seaside design still melds with the Victorian style architecture through details like siding, asymmetrical lines, and the classic red roof, Petrone explained.
Harold Rapoza Jr., general manager of the hotel, said work was finished at the Shore House on time, despite the pandemic.
Pandemic rebound
“The Del has been really strong since we’ve come back from the pandemic,” said Rapoza. “We closed, and the state closed down in March of 2020. We came back in the summer of 2020, and saw a really strong leisure demand.”
According to San Diego County Lodging Association’s 2023 Hotel Economic Forecast, demand is assumed to increase in this year as business transient and group demand further recovers, while leisure demand is expected to be slightly below 2022 levels.
The report also anticipates a modest room revenue growth of 0.3% this year, and the report said Coronado has the highest average rates fueled by a walkable downtown, beaches, competing resorts and independent boutique hotels.
“We’ve seen an increase in our business levels, occupancy, and average rate throughout the last three years,” said Rapoza. “Honestly, in 2023 we see the same outlook.”
Todd Little, executive director of Discover Coronado, the city’s official destination marketing organization, said there has been a recovery for lodging, but not to the extent of 2019.
He said occupancy at the resorts in calendar year 2022 reached just 66% on average. That average is roughly 7.3% less than 2019, he said.
There are no official numbers on the tourism forecast in Coronado for 2023, he said. However, Little said that Coronado businesses that rely on visitors should be pleased with expected guest levels in 2023.
“A number of factors, including an impending recession and gasoline prices could temper visitation, but there is still pent-up demand for travel,” Little said.
‘They would rather have the visitors’
However, the upswing in visitors isn’t embraced by everyone in Coronado.
Longtime Coronado resident Susan Keith says all of the renovations have made the Del too pricey for her and others in town.
Keith, 81, lives about a block from the beach near the Del. But even though she’s within walking distance of the resort, she hasn’t even gone to look at the improvements.
“It used to be a place where the locals would go,” she said.
Keith said she grew up playing tennis at the resort and going to dances. She also had her wedding night there.
“We all used to go up there every Friday and Saturday night to the Ocean View Room. They had a band, and we drank and danced. In the old days, people thought it was their hotel, and it’s not their hotel anymore,” she said. “They don’t want us anyway. They would rather have the visitors.”
Renovation created new jobs
Meanwhile, Rapoza said an important element of the renovation was the Southpointe event center, featuring a 15,130 square-foot ballroom with plenty of flexible space for conventions.
Smaller renovated features are the brand new guest rooms in The Views neighborhood, shops at the Del, upgraded dining concepts, and the Ice House, a museum providing a look into the Del’s history.
Chapman said the renovations and recovery of the industry also have created new jobs, making the Del an important employer in the community.
The Del has a total of 1,400 team members, 800 of whom were hired last year.
Below are some other past and present photos of The Del
