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Claremont Hotel & Spa

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103-547: The Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel is a historic American hotel that is situated at the foot of Claremont Canyon in the Berkeley Hills . Located in the Claremont district , near the intersection of Claremont Avenue and Ashby Avenue, the site straddles the city limits of Berkeley and Oakland. The border between the neighboring cities runs down the former Key System E train right of way that now serves as

206-584: A Beijing -based Chinese insurance company, in a $ 6.5 billion deal involving multiple resorts. Anbang thus bought 16 luxury American hotel properties including Hotel del Coronado. Fifteen of the 16 were immediately transferred to Anbang. However, the sale of Hotel del Coronado was held up because of concerns expressed by the federal inter-agency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews acquisitions of U.S. businesses by foreign investors for possible national security risks. The agency

309-478: A business degree , and/or certification programs formally prepare hotel managers for industry practice. Most hotel establishments consist of a general manager who serves as the head executive (often referred to as the "hotel manager"), department heads who oversee various departments within a hotel, middle managers , administrative staff, and line-level supervisors. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by hotel size, function, and

412-449: A general manager who serves as the head executive (often referred to as the " hotel manager "), department heads who oversee various departments within a hotel (e.g., food service), middle managers , administrative staff, and line-level supervisors. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by hotel size, function and class, and is often determined by hotel ownership and managing companies. The word hotel

515-412: A $ 55 million upgrade of the hotel in 2001, which included seismic retrofitting . While retaining its classic Victorian look, the hotel continues to upgrade its facilities. In July 2005, the hotel obtained 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. The hotel received a Four Diamond rating from

618-430: A block of hours typically between 8 am and 5 pm, before the typical night shift. These are similar to transit hotels in that they appeal to travelers, however, unlike transit hotels, they do not eliminate the need to go through Customs. Garden hotels , famous for their gardens before they became hotels, include Gravetye Manor, the home of garden designer William Robinson , and Cliveden , designed by Charles Barry with

721-463: A contract basis, but it was never commandeered. General manager Steven Royce convinced the Navy to abstain from taking over the hotel because most of the additional rooms were being used to house the families of officers. He pointed out that "the fathers, mothers, and wives were given priority to the rooms because it may be the last time they will see their sons and husbands." Ultimately the Navy agreed, and

824-631: A deal to sell the Claremont and three other properties to the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation . The Claremont was purchased in March 2014 by the Fairmont Hotel chain and financier Richard Blum for $ 86 million. In May 2023, the hotel was purchased by Ohana Real Estate Investors for $ 163 million. A transbay Key System railway line (eventually designated the "E" line) ran from

927-486: A form of property ownership also referred to as a vacation ownership involving the purchase and ownership of an individual unit of accommodation for seasonal usage during a specified period of time. Timeshare resorts often offer amenities similar that of a full-service hotel with on-site restaurants, swimming pools, recreation grounds, and other leisure-oriented amenities. Destination clubs on the other hand may offer more exclusive private accommodations such as private houses in

1030-399: A freshwater pipeline was run under San Diego Bay. Water tanks and gravity flow sprinklers were installed. He also built two giant cisterns with concrete walls a foot thick in the basement to store rainwater. Although these cisterns were never used for rainwater, they were reputedly very handy for storing alcoholic beverages during Prohibition. Reid also installed the world's first oil furnace in

1133-652: A guest with lifestyle or personal image in specific locations. They are typically full-service and classified as luxury. A key characteristic of lifestyle resorts is focus on providing a unique guest experience as opposed to simply providing lodging. Lifestyle luxury resorts are classified with a Five Star hotel rating depending on the country and local classification standards. Example brands include: Waldorf Astoria , St. Regis , Wynn Resorts , MGM , Shangri-La , Oberoi , Belmond , Jumeirah , Aman , Taj Hotels , Hoshino , Raffles , Fairmont , Banyan Tree , Regent and Park Hyatt . Upscale full-service hotels often provide

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1236-781: A hospital since the Middle Ages . The French spelling, with the circumflex , was also used in English, but is now rare. The circumflex replaces the 's' found in the earlier hostel spelling, which over time took on a new, but closely related meaning. Grammatically, hotels usually take the definite article – hence "The Astoria Hotel" or simply "The Astoria". Facilities offering hospitality to travellers featured in early civilizations. In Greco-Roman culture and in ancient Persia , hospitals for recuperation and rest were built at thermal baths . Guinness World Records officially recognised Japan's Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan , founded in 705, as

1339-670: A large home there in approximately 1870 which he called a "castle". After his death in 1878, it was purchased by John Ballard. On July 14, 1901, a wildfire descending from the hills burned the house to the ground. On November 10, 1905, the property was acquired by Louis Titus on behalf of the Claremont Hotel Company for approximately $ 37,500. The Claremont Hotel Company was a group of investors that included Mr Titus, along with John Hopkins Spring , Francis "Borax" Smith , Frank C. Havens , and Duncan McDuffie . Smith and Havens were already involved with what came to be known as

1442-459: A limited amount of on-site amenities. Economy hotels are small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer basic accommodations with little to no services. Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer longer-term full-service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel. Timeshare and destination clubs are a form of property ownership involving ownership of an individual unit of accommodation for seasonal usage. A motel

1545-457: A limited number of on-site amenities that only cater and market to a specific demographic of travelers, such as the single business traveler. Most focused or select service hotels may still offer full-service accommodations but may lack leisure amenities such as an on-site restaurant or a swimming pool. Examples include Hyatt Place , Holiday Inn , Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn . Small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer

1648-498: A metal shop and iron works. Construction of the hotel began in March 1887, "on a sandspit populated by jack rabbits and coyotes". Labor was provided largely by Chinese immigrants from San Francisco and Oakland . The Crown Room was Reid's masterpiece. Its wooden ceiling was installed with pegs and glue, and not a single nail was used. Landscaping for the hotel was completed by Kate Sessions . Reid's plans were being revised and added to constantly. To deal with fire hazards,

1751-779: A more than $ 160 million renovation, the final portion of the resort's $ 550 million makeover. The upgrades will encompass all Victorian guest rooms, suites, and event spaces, including the Crown Room. Notable guests of the hotel have included Thomas Edison , Marilyn Monroe , L. Frank Baum , Charlie Chaplin , King Kalakaua of Hawaii, Vincent Price , Babe Ruth , James Stewart , Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn . More recently, guests have included Kevin Costner , Whoopi Goldberg , Gene Hackman , George Harrison , Keanu Reeves , Brad Pitt , Madonna , Barbra Streisand , and Oprah Winfrey . The following presidents have stayed at

1854-412: A neighborhood-style setting. Examples of timeshare brands include Hilton Grand Vacations , Marriott Vacation Club International , Westgate Resorts , Disney Vacation Club , and Holiday Inn Club Vacations . A motel , an abbreviation for "motor hotel", is a small-sized low-rise lodging establishment similar to a limited service, lower-cost hotel, but typically with direct access to individual rooms from

1957-584: A partner in Reid Brothers , the Evansville firm, stayed in Indiana, and brother Watson Reid helped supervise the 2,000 laborers needed. 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

2060-553: A pathway between the tennis courts which belong to the Berkeley Tennis Club . At its elevation of 400 ft (120 m), the site provides scenic views of San Francisco Bay . The site is a few blocks southeast of the University of California, Berkeley 's Clark Kerr Campus , generally bounded by Claremont Avenue to the north and west, Ashby Avenue/Tunnel Road to the south, and open space and private homes to

2163-475: 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." If the hotel were ever to be built, one of the numerous problems to overcome was the absence of lumber and labor in the San Diego area. The lumber problem

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2266-410: A room and board arrangement. In Japan , capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe . For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, coaching inns served as a place for lodging for coach travelers. Inns began to cater to wealthier clients in the mid-18th century. One of

2369-536: A rose garden by Geoffrey Jellicoe . The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi , Sweden , was the first ice hotel in the world; first built in 1990, it is built each winter and melts every spring. The Hotel de Glace in Duschenay, Canada , opened in 2001 and it is North America's only ice hotel. It is redesigned and rebuilt in its entirety every year. Ice hotels can also be included within larger ice complexes; for example,

2472-909: A stay or re-admission through security checkpoints. Some hotels are built with living trees as structural elements, for example the Treehotel near Piteå , Sweden, the Costa Rica Tree House near the Jairo Mora Sandoval Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed Wildlife Refuge , Costa Rica ; the Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National Park , Kenya ; the Ariau Towers near Manaus , Brazil, on the Rio Negro in

2575-650: A television, and en-suite bathrooms . Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities. Larger, higher-priced hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool, a business center with computers, printers, and other office equipment, childcare, conference and event facilities, tennis or basketball courts, gymnasium , restaurants, day spa, and social function services. Hotel rooms are usually numbered (or named in some smaller hotels and B&Bs ) to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms. Some hotels offer meals as part of

2678-634: A time in 1910, but further difficulties impeded progress. In the meantime, a referendum in November 1909 brought the annexation of the area that included most of the hotel site into the city limits of Oakland. Erik Lindblom invested a substantial amount of money to complete the hotel in 1914 and it opened in 1915 as the Claremont Hotel , in time to accommodate travelers to the Panama–Pacific International Exposition across

2781-562: A time when many people were deserting San Diego. Babcock turned to Captain Charles T. Hinde and sugar magnate John D. Spreckels , who lent them $ 100,000 to finish the hotel. The Coronado Beach Company was then capitalized with three million United States dollars. The company directors at this time were E.S. Babcock , John Diedrich Spreckels , Captain Charles T. Hinde , H.W. Mallett, and Giles Kellogg. By 1890 Spreckels bought out both Babcock and Story. The Spreckels family retained ownership of

2884-572: A traditional hotel. Extended stay hotels may offer non-traditional pricing methods such as a weekly rate that caters towards travelers in need of short-term accommodations for an extended period of time. Similar to limited and select service hotels, on-site amenities are normally limited and most extended stay hotels lack an on-site restaurant. Examples include Staybridge Suites , Candlewood Suites , Homewood Suites by Hilton , Home2 Suites by Hilton , Residence Inn by Marriott , Element , and Extended Stay America . Timeshare and destination clubs are

2987-502: A type of booking for less than 24 hours where the customer chooses the check in time and the length of the stay. This allows the hotel increased revenue by reselling the same room several times a day. They first gained popularity in Europe but are now common in major global tourist centers. Hotel management is a globally accepted professional career field and academic field of study. Degree programs such as hospitality management studies ,

3090-560: A type of economical hotel first introduced in Japan, where people sleep in stacks of rectangular containers. In the sleeping capsules, beside the bed, the customer can watch TV, put their valuables in the mini safes, and the customers also can use the wireless internet. Some hotels fill daytime occupancy with day rooms , for example, Rodeway Inn and Suites near Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida . Day rooms are booked in

3193-613: A very limited number of on-site amenities and often only offer basic accommodations with little to no services, catering to the budget-minded traveler seeking a "no frills" accommodation. Limited service hotels often lack an on-site restaurant but in return may offer a limited complimentary food and beverage amenity such as on-site continental breakfast service. Examples include Ibis Budget , Hampton Inn , Aloft , Holiday Inn Express , Fairfield Inn , and Four Points by Sheraton . Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer longer-term full-service accommodations compared to

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3296-881: A wide array of guest services and on-site facilities. Commonly found amenities may include: on-site food and beverage (room service and restaurants), meeting and conference services and facilities, fitness center, and business center. Upscale full-service hotels range in quality from upscale to luxury. This classification is based upon the quality of facilities and amenities offered by the hotel. Examples include: W Hotels , Sheraton , Langham , Kempinski , Pullman , Kimpton Hotels , Hilton , Swissôtel , Lotte , Renaissance , Marriott and Hyatt Regency brands. Boutique hotels are smaller independent non-branded hotels that often contain mid-scale to upscale facilities of varying size in unique or intimate settings with full-service accommodations. These hotels are generally 100 rooms or fewer. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer

3399-545: Is a historic beachfront hotel in Coronado, California , just across San Diego Bay from San Diego . A rare surviving example of an American architectural genre—the wooden Victorian beach resort—it was designated a California Historical Landmark in 1970 and a National Historic Landmark in 1977. It is the second-largest wooden structure in the United States (after Tillamook Air Museum in Tillamook, Oregon ). When

3502-491: Is a hotel chain that offers branding to independently operated hotels; the chain itself is founded by or owned by the member hotels as a group. Many former referral chains have been converted to franchises; the largest surviving member-owned chain is Best Western . The first recorded purpose-built railway hotel was the Great Western Hotel , which opened adjacent to Reading railway station in 1844, shortly after

3605-428: Is a small-sized low-rise lodging with direct access to individual rooms from the car parking area. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with a unique environment or intimate setting. A number of hotels and motels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture. Some hotels are built specifically as destinations in themselves, for example casinos and holiday resorts . Most hotel establishments are run by

3708-648: Is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world, operated primarily for the purpose of allowing guests privacy for sexual activities , typically for one to three hours, but with overnight as an option. Styles of premises vary from extremely low-end to extravagantly appointed. In Japan, love hotels have a history of over 400 years. In 2021 a New York-based company introduced new modular and movable hotel rooms which allow landowners and hospitality groups to create and easily scale hotel accommodations. The portable units can be built in three to five months and can be stacked to create multi-floor units. A referral hotel

3811-520: Is about 300 people in total, with several event spaces for guests. It has become a celebrity wedding destination over time, with basketball star LeBron James also considering the hotel as a wedding location in 2013. Films The hotel was first featured in a film when it was used as a backdrop for The Married Virgin (1918). Since then, it has been featured in at least 13 other films, including: Some Like It Hot (1959), starring Marilyn Monroe , Jack Lemmon , and Tony Curtis , where it represented

3914-880: Is built into the remains of an opal mine. Located on the coast but high above sea level, these hotels offer unobstructed panoramic views and a great sense of privacy without the feeling of total isolation. Some examples from around the globe are the Riosol Hotel in Gran Canaria, Caruso Belvedere Hotel in Amalfi Coast (Italy), Aman Resorts Amankila in Bali, Birkenhead House in Hermanus (South Africa), The Caves in Jamaica and Caesar Augustus in Capri. Capsule hotels are

4017-552: Is derived from the French hôtel (coming from the same origin as hospital ), which referred to a French version of a building seeing frequent visitors, and providing care, rather than a place offering accommodation. In contemporary French usage, hôtel now has the same meaning as the English term, and hôtel particulier is used for the old meaning, as well as "hôtel" in some place names such as Hôtel-Dieu (in Paris), which has been

4120-553: Is likely that another Christmas Eve will find many California gardens aglow with light scattered from living foliage." When the 399-room hotel opened for business in February 1888, 1,440 San Diegans traveled across the bay. Reports of the new grand hotel were wired across the country, but just as the hotel was nearing completion, the Southern California land boom collapsed. Babcock and Story needed additional funds at

4223-729: Is often determined by hotel ownership and managing companies. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with a unique environment or intimate setting. Some hotels have gained their renown through tradition, by hosting significant events or persons, such as Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam , Germany, which derives its fame from the Potsdam Conference of the World War II allies Winston Churchill , Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin in 1945. The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai

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4326-890: Is one of India's most famous and historic hotels because of its association with the Indian independence movement . Some establishments have given name to a particular meal or beverage, as is the case with the Waldorf Astoria in New York City , United States where the Waldorf Salad was first created or the Hotel Sacher in Vienna , Austria, home of the Sachertorte . Others have achieved fame by association with dishes or cocktails created on their premises, such as

4429-769: The Amazon ; and Bayram's Tree Houses in Olympos , Turkey. Some hotels have accommodation underwater, such as Utter Inn in Lake Mälaren , Sweden. Hydropolis , project in Dubai , would have had suites on the bottom of the Persian Gulf , and Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo , Florida , requires scuba diving to access its rooms. Hotel del Coronado Hotel del Coronado , also known as The Del and Hotel Del ,

4532-544: The American Automobile Association in 2009 and was listed in 2011 by USA Today among the top 10 resorts in the world. The hotel has been sold in several transactions between financial institutions. In 2003, Travelers sold the property to CNL Hospitality Properties Inc. and KSL Recreation Corp (CNL/KSL). This ownership group completed a $ 10 million upgrade of 381 rooms in June, 2005. The hotel

4635-625: The COVID-19 epidemic . This was the first time in the property's 132-year history that it had closed its doors to guests. It reopened on June 26, 2020. In 2021, the hotel's historic main lobby, front facade and front veranda were restored, at a cost of $ 14 million. In 2022, the hotel opened a new wing, Shore House at the Del, featuring 75 one-, two- and three-bedroom residential-style units. The historic main wing closed in January 2024 for one year for

4738-651: The George and the Tabard . A typical layout of an inn featured an inner court with bedrooms on the two sides, with the kitchen and parlour at the front and the stables at the back. For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, coaching inns served as a place for lodging for coach travellers (in other words, a roadhouse ). Coaching inns stabled teams of horses for stagecoaches and mail coaches and replaced tired teams with fresh teams. Traditionally they were seven miles apart, but this depended very much on

4841-645: The Great Western Railway opened its line from London. The building still exists, and although it has been used for other purposes over the years, it is now again a hotel and a member of the Malmaison hotel chain . Frequently, expanding railway companies built grand hotels at their termini, such as the Midland Hotel, Manchester next to the former Manchester Central Station , and in London

4944-909: The Hotel de Paris where the crêpe Suzette was invented or the Raffles Hotel in Singapore , where the Singapore Sling cocktail was devised. A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, such as the Ritz Hotel in London , through its association with Irving Berlin's song, " Puttin' on the Ritz ". The Algonquin Hotel in New York City is famed as

5047-699: The Key Route Inn , which also had its own train service. Besides the direct rail connection, the Claremont Hotel was also convenient to vehicular traffic, as it was situated along the principal route over the Berkeley Hills via Claremont Canyon. In 1903, a small tunnel (the Inter County Tunnel) was excavated above Temescal Canyon (the next canyon southward), accessible by a new road dubbed Tunnel Road , which ran initially from

5150-831: The Raymond Hotel in Pasadena , the Hotel Del Monte in Monterey , and the Hotel Redondo in Redondo Beach . In November 1885, a group of five investors bought Coronado and North Island, about 4,000 acres, for $ 110,000. Those people were E. S. Babcock , retired railroad executive from Evansville, Indiana ; Hampton L. Story, of the Story & Clark Piano Company of Chicago; Jacob Gruendike, president of

5253-734: The Transbay Terminal over the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge nearly to the doors of the Claremont Hotel, terminating between the tennis courts that are now part of the Berkeley Tennis Club. Claremont Hotel guests not only had views of San Francisco, but could go there directly from the lobby steps. The Key System tracks were removed in 1958 along with the rest of the Key System. The Key System had constructed another large hotel near downtown Oakland,

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5356-400: The " Key System ", a major transit and real estate development company in the East Bay , whose commuter trains began rolling in 1903. Construction of the hotel began soon after the 1905 purchase, contemporaneously with the nearby Claremont Park development of Duncan McDuffie , but halted as a result of supply and financial difficulties caused by the 1906 earthquake . Construction resumed for

5459-455: The "Seminole Ritz" in southern Florida; $ (1971) starring Goldie Hawn and Warren Beatty ; Wicked, Wicked (1973), which was completely filmed on location there; The Stunt Man (1980), starring Peter O'Toole ; The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything (1980) starring Pam Dawber ; and My Blue Heaven (1990), starring Steve Martin and Rick Moranis . The science historian James Burke filmed his special The Neuron Suite at

5562-522: The 19th century. Luxury hotels, including the 1829 Tremont House in Boston , the 1836 Astor House in New York City , the 1889 Savoy Hotel in London, and the Ritz chain of hotels in London and Paris in the late 1890s, catered to an ever more-wealthy clientele. Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is part of a United States law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or national origin in places of public accommodation. Hotels are included as types of public accommodation in

5665-435: The 2000s as hotel chains have been building economy-priced, limited-service franchised properties at freeway exits which compete for largely the same clientele, largely saturating the market by the 1990s. Motels are still useful in less populated areas for driving travelers, but the more populated an area becomes, the more hotels move in to meet the demand for accommodation. While many motels are unbranded and independent, many of

5768-479: The Act. Hotels cater to travelers from many countries and languages, since no one country dominates the travel industry. Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies that operate hotels have set widely accepted industry standards to classify hotel types. General categories include the following: International luxury hotels offer high-quality amenities, full-service accommodations, on-site full-service restaurants, and

5871-407: The Bay in San Francisco. It is comparable in scale and design to contemporary grand resort hotels completed in California between 1876 and 1914, including the Mission Inn (1876), Hotel del Coronado (1888), St. Francis Hotel (1904), and Fairmont Hotel (1907). Lindblom would acquire the hotel in 1918, which he held until it was sold to Claude C. Gillum and his wife in 1937. As completed, the hotel

5974-408: The Claremont Hotel continued to suffer from the state law prohibiting the sale of liquor within a mile of the university. In 1937, the law was amended to measure the distance following street routes rather than a straight line, and the hotel was then able to serve liquor legally. According to a story on the hotel's website, a student at the university discovered in 1936 that the route was over a mile and

6077-416: The Claremont Hotel from the dry zone. Influenced by activism from women's clubs and temperance groups in Berkeley, the Ferguson bill was defeated by one vote. Nationwide prohibition of alcohol was instituted on January 17, 1920, when the Volstead Act, enacted pursuant to the 18th Amendment, went into effect. On December 5, 1933, the 18th Amendment was repealed by enactment of the 21st Amendment. After repeal,

6180-441: The Coronado. Hotel del Coronado was the primary location for the filming of the fantasy-comedy feature film Daydream Hotel , which had its world premiere at the 1st Annual Coronado Island Film Festival in January 2016. Literature Music Stage productions Each December since 1994, Lamb's Players Theatre and the hotel have presented An American Christmas , a 3-hour "Feast & Celebration" set 100 years earlier, in

6283-407: The First National Bank of San Diego; Heber Ingle; and Joseph Collett. In April 1886, Babcock and Story created the Coronado Beach Company, then additional enterprises to support the development of Coronado. The Coronado Ferry Company built wharves and storage facilities and developed ferryboat service between Coronado and San Diego; The Coronado Water Company piped fresh water under San Diego Bay from

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6386-611: The Mammut Snow Hotel in Finland is located within the walls of the Kemi snow castle; and the Lainio Snow Hotel is part of a snow village near Ylläs , Finland. There is an arctic snowhotel in Rovaniemi in Lapland , Finland, along with glass igloos. The first glass igloos were built in 1999 in Finland , they became the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort with 65 buildings, 53 small ones for two people and 12 large ones for four people. Glass igloos, with their roof made of thermal glass, allow guests to admire auroras comfortably from their beds. A love hotel (also 'love motel', especially in Taiwan)

6489-482: The San Diego River; The Coronado Railroad Company provided rail lines in Coronado, and eventually a "Belt Line" connected Coronado to San Diego via the Strand. Hotel del Coronado boasted one of the largest electrical power plants in the state, providing service to the entire community of Coronado until the 1920s. The men hired architect James W. Reid , a native of New Brunswick, Canada , who first practiced in Evansville and Terre Haute. His younger brother Merritt Reid ,

6592-491: The Strip, with a total of over 67,000 rooms. The Null Stern Hotel in Teufen , Appenzellerland , Switzerland, and the Concrete Mushrooms in Albania are former nuclear bunkers transformed into hotels. The Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcón (named after the author ) in Guadix , Spain, as well as several hotels in Cappadocia , Turkey, are notable for being built into natural cave formations, some with rooms underground. The Desert Cave Hotel in Coober Pedy , South Australia,

6695-404: The car park. Motels were built to serve road travellers, including travellers on road trip vacations and workers who drive for their job (travelling salespeople, truck drivers, etc.). Common during the 1950s and 1960s, motels were often located adjacent to a major highway, where they were built on inexpensive land at the edge of towns or along stretches of freeway. New motel construction is rare in

6798-455: The defining characteristic of a resort hotel is that it exists purely to serve another attraction, the two having the same owners. On the Las Vegas Strip there is a tradition of one-upmanship with luxurious and extravagant hotels in a concentrated area. This trend now has extended to other resorts worldwide, but the concentration in Las Vegas is still the world's highest: nineteen of the world's twenty-five largest hotels by room count are on

6901-413: The east; it was originally in unincorporated Alameda County, outside of any city limits. The majority of the property is in Oakland , including the entirety of the hotel building, the spa, the gardens and parking area. However, two small portions, one just east of the Berkeley Tennis Club and the other near the intersection of Claremont Avenue and Russell Street, are within the city limits of Berkeley , and

7004-400: The end of Russell Street but was subsequently re-routed to connect with Ashby Avenue. The same route later led to a newer, larger tunnel which opened in 1937 as the "Broadway Low Level Tunnel", later renamed the Caldecott Tunnel . The street address of the Claremont is still 41 Tunnel Road. Tunnel Road is a designated part of State Highway 13 . In 1873, a state law was enacted that prohibited

7107-558: The first hotels in a modern sense was opened in Exeter in 1768. Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in the early 19th century, and luxury hotels began to spring up in the later part of the 19th century, particularly in the United States. Hotel operations vary in size, function, complexity, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies have set industry standards to classify hotel types. An upscale full-service hotel facility offers luxury amenities, full-service accommodations, an on-site restaurant , and

7210-509: The highest level of personalized and professional service in major or capital cities . International luxury hotels are classified with at least a Five Diamond rating or Five Star hotel rating depending on the country and local classification standards. Example brands include: Grand Hyatt , Conrad , InterContinental , Sofitel , Mandarin Oriental , Four Seasons , The Peninsula , Rosewood , JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton . Lifestyle luxury resorts are branded hotels that appeal to

7313-443: The highest level of personalized service, such as a concierge , room service , and clothes-ironing staff. Full-service hotels often contain upscale full-service facilities with many full-service accommodations, an on-site full-service restaurant , and a variety of on-site amenities . Boutique hotels are smaller independent, non-branded hotels that often contain upscale facilities. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments offer

7416-427: The honor is one of the three splendid Norfolk Island pines on the plaza [grassy area in front of the hotel]. It has attained a height of fifty feet and its branches stand proudly forth. All day yesterday electricians were busy fitting it up and by night 250 lights of many colors gave beauty to the fine old pine. Lanterns, great and small, hung from its boughs. And now that an open-air Christmas tree had been introduced, it

7519-497: The hotel alone under the name “Lottie A Bernard” from Detroit. Five days later, on November 29, 1892, Kate was found dead from a gunshot wound to her head. The San Diego County coroner determined the wound was self-inflicted, but skeptics claim the bullet with which she was killed does not match the gun found in her hand. To this day, Kate Morgan is thought by locals to haunt the hotel, and the hotel itself has an entire page about Kate Morgan. Hotel del Coronado offers tours of Room 502,

7622-603: The hotel and spent $ 2 million on refurbishment and redecorating. Popular Hollywood set designer Al Goodman was commissioned by Alessio to oversee the hotel's restoration and refurbishments, which notably included the Grand Ballroom, the Victorian Room Lounge, and the Victorian elevator grille. Alessio sold the hotel to M. Larry Lawrence in 1963. Lawrence's initial plan was to develop the land around

7725-578: The hotel and ultimately, to demolish it, but he later changed his mind. During his tenure, Lawrence invested $ 150 million to refurbish and expand much of the hotel. He doubled its capacity to 700 rooms. He added the Grande Hall Convention Center and two seven-story Ocean Towers just south of the hotel. The Lawrence family sold the hotel to the Travelers Group after Lawrence's death in 1996. The Travelers Group completed

7828-483: The hotel never was appropriated. The hotel was designated as a "wartime casualty station". It began a victory garden program, planting vegetables on all spare grounds around the hotel. Barney Goodman purchased the hotel from the Spreckels in 1948. From the end of World War II until 1960, the hotel began to age. While still outwardly beautiful, neglect was evident. In 1960, local millionaire John Alessio purchased

7931-499: The hotel opened in 1888, it was the largest resort hotel in the world. It has hosted presidents, royalty, and celebrities, and been featured in numerous films and books. In the mid-1880s, the San Diego region was experiencing one of its first real estate booms. At that time, it was common for a California developer to build a grand hotel as a draw to an otherwise barren landscape; examples include The Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood ,

8034-575: The hotel to the Harsh Investment Corporation, which leased it to Murray Lehr; Lehr added the first tennis courts and swimming pool to the site. Harsh took over active control in 1971 and implemented more physical changes, completing the project to enclose the verandas started under the Gillums and replacing gardens with tennis courts and parking. The Claremont faced destruction in the 1991 Oakland firestorm , but firefighters and

8137-538: The hotel until 1948. The original grounds had many amenities, including an Olympic-sized salt water pool, tennis courts, and a yacht club 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. Kate Morgan ( c.  1864 – 1892) was an American housemaid who died in her mid-twenties under mysterious circumstances during her stay at Hotel del Coronado. She checked into

8240-439: The hotel was established before the 1920s. It already had hosted Presidents Harrison, McKinley, Taft, and Wilson. By the 1920s, many of Hollywood 's stars made their way to the hotel during the 1920s and 1930s, especially during the era of Prohibition . Douglas Fairbanks , Charlie Chaplin , Rudolph Valentino , Clark Gable , Errol Flynn , Mae West , Joan Crawford , Katharine Hepburn , Bette Davis , and Ginger Rogers among

8343-533: The hotel's ballroom. Television The hotel stood in for the fictional Mansfield House during host segments of the NBC anthology series Ghost Story in 1972. The storylines of Baywatch season 4, episodes 14 and 15, called "Coronado del Soul" Parts 1 and 2, evolve in and around the hotel. The grounds and some interior areas were used in 3 episodes of Antiques Roadshow broadcast as S23 E7, S23 E8 and S23 E9 in February and April 2019. Postage stamp The hotel

8446-517: The hotel: Benjamin Harrison , William Howard Taft , Woodrow Wilson , Franklin D. Roosevelt , Lyndon B. Johnson , Richard Nixon , Gerald Ford , Jimmy Carter , Ronald Reagan , George H. W. Bush , Bill Clinton and George W. Bush . The hotel is also known for hosting opulent weddings, and is often cited as one of the most expensive wedding locations in California. The wedding capacity

8549-524: The insulation values of the walls it needs no conventional heating or air conditioning system, although the Maya Guesthouse is built at an altitude of 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in the Alps. Transit hotels are short stay hotels typically used at international airports where passengers can stay while waiting to change airplanes. The hotels are typically on the airside and do not require a visa for

8652-412: The lessening wind stopped the flames short of the hotel. It was acquired by KSL Claremont Resort, Inc. in 1998. In 2007, the Claremont was acquired by Morgan Stanley . On February 1, 2011, the resort filed for bankruptcy due to losses attributed to the ongoing recession. Lenders including Paulson & Co. , Winthrop Realty Trust and Capital Trust foreclosed on the property. In 2013, the owners reached

8755-536: The meeting place of the literary group, the Algonquin Round Table , and Hotel Chelsea , also in New York City, has been the subject of a number of songs and the scene of the stabbing of Nancy Spungen (allegedly by her boyfriend Sid Vicious ). Some hotels are built specifically as a destination in itself to create a captive trade, example at casinos , amusement parks and holiday resorts . Though hotels have always been built in popular destinations,

8858-681: The mid-18th century, and consequently grew in grandeur and in the level of service provided. Sudhir Andrews traces "the birth of an organised hotel industry" to Europe's chalets and small hotels which catered primarily to aristocrats. One of the first hotels in a modern sense, the Royal Clarence , opened in Exeter in 1768, although the idea only really caught on in the early-19th century. In 1812 Mivart's Hotel opened its doors in London , later changing its name to Claridge's . Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in

8961-415: The new hotel, prompting a Los Angeles oil company to build tankers to carry the oil to Coronado. Electric lighting in a hotel was also a world first. The electric wires were installed inside the gas lines, so if the electricity didn't work, they could use gas to illuminate the rooms. Contrary to popular rumor, Thomas Edison was not involved in the installation of The Del's electrical system. The electricity

9064-495: The oldest hotel in the world. During the Middle Ages , various religious orders at monasteries and abbeys would offer accommodation for travellers on the road. The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe , possibly dating back to the rule of Ancient Rome . These would provide for the needs of travellers, including food and lodging, stabling and fodder for the traveller's horses and fresh horses for mail coaches . Famous London examples of inns include

9167-606: The ones above St Pancras railway station and Charing Cross railway station . London also has the Chiltern Court Hotel above Baker Street tube station , there are also Canada's grand railway hotels . They are or were mostly, but not exclusively, used by those traveling by rail. The Maya Guesthouse in Nax Mont-Noble in the Swiss Alps, is the first hotel in Europe built entirely with straw bales. Due to

9270-517: The other motels which remain in operation joined national franchise chains, often rebranding themselves as hotels, inns or lodges. Some examples of chains with motels include EconoLodge , Motel 6 , Super 8 , and Travelodge . Motels in some parts of the world are more often regarded as places for romantic assignations where rooms are often rented by the hour. This is fairly common in parts of Latin America . Hotels may offer rooms for microstays ,

9373-644: The resort uses a mailing address in Berkeley: 41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley CA 94705. The Berkeley Tennis Club leased a portion of the grounds southwest of the hotel from 1917 to 1945. In 1945, the Club purchased this section of the grounds, and remains located at 1 Tunnel Road in Berkeley, next to the hotel. The Claremont has 279 guest rooms, a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m) spa, 10 tennis courts, and 22 acres (8.9 ha) of landscaped gardens. Romantic stories say it

9476-547: The room in which Kate Morgan stayed. Room 502 is the most requested room at Hotel del Coronado. On April 7, 1920, Edward, Prince of Wales was honored with a grand banquet in the Crown Room. Despite speculation that he met his future wife and Coronado resident Wallis Simpson at the event – her then-husband Earl Winfield Spencer Jr. was the first commanding officer of nearby Naval Air Station San Diego – most historians believe they met later. Edward and Wallis wrote in their memoirs that they met much later. The popularity of

9579-541: The sale of alcoholic beverages within 2 mi (3.2 km) of the University of California. This statute was amended in 1876, reducing the prohibition distance to 1 mi (1.6 km) from the perimeter of the University of California . In 1913, the hotel's investors sponsored AB 1620 (known as the Ferguson bill), supposedly to further restrict alcohol near churches and schools statewide, but specifically excluding

9682-426: The terrain. Some English towns had as many as ten such inns and rivalry between them became intense, not only for the income from the stagecoach operators but for the revenue from the food and drink supplied to the wealthy passengers. By the end of the century, coaching inns were being run more professionally, with a regular timetable being followed and fixed menus for food. Inns began to cater to richer clients in

9785-565: The well-known actors who stayed at the hotel. On New Year's Day 1937, during the Great Depression , the gambling ship SS Monte Carlo , known for "drinks, dice, and dolls", was shipwrecked on the beach about a quarter mile south of Hotel del Coronado. During World War II, many West Coast resorts and hotels were taken over by the U.S. government for use as housing and hospitals. Hotel del Coronado housed many pilots who were being trained at nearby North Island Naval Air Station on

9888-411: Was awarded free drinks for life. This point had been publicly discussed in 1913. Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refrigerator , and other kitchen facilities, upholstered chairs,

9991-471: Was built in the Tudor Revival style, with its exposed half-timber decorative finish. Unused properties were sold off starting in the 1920s, including the portion southeast of "The Short Cut" pedestrian path connecting Tunnel Road and Alvarado, and the southwestern area now occupied by the Berkeley Tennis Club. Under the Gillums, the Claremont Hotel building was painted white. In 1954, the Gillums sold

10094-484: Was concerned about the hotel's proximity to major Navy bases . In October 2016, it was reported that the deal had fallen through and the hotel would remain in Blackstone's ownership. In August 2017, Hilton Hotels and Resorts took over the management of Hotel del Coronado as part of their Curio Collection. The resort is still owned by Blackstone and the name Hotel del Coronado has not changed. Hotel del Coronado

10197-601: Was installed by the Mather Electric Company out of Chicago (sometimes referred to as Mather-Perkins Company). An early Del brochure touted its "Mather incandescent electric lamps, of which there are 2,500." Electricity was still new to San Diego, having been introduced in 1886. In 1904, Hotel del Coronado introduced the world's first electrically lighted, outdoor living Christmas tree. From the San Diego Union , December 25, 1904: "The tree selected for

10300-651: Was once won in a checkers game. The hotel was nominated and deemed eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, but was not listed due to owner objection. It is a designated Oakland City Historical Landmark. The hotel has been a member of Historic Hotels of America , an official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation , since 2016. The site was developed initially by an early settler, William Butler Thornburgh, from Jefferson County, West Virginia, who constructed

10403-521: Was solved with contracts for exclusive rights to all raw lumber production of the Dolbeer & Carson Lumber Company of Eureka, California , which was one of the West's largest. Planing mills were built on site to finish raw lumber shipped directly from the Dolbeer & Carson lumber yards, located on the shores of Humboldt Bay . To obtain brick and concrete, Reid built his own kilns. He also constructed

10506-474: Was then inducted into Historic Hotels of America , the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in 2018. The hotel began a redevelopment and expansion in February 2019 to add new entryway, more guest rooms, parking garages, another restaurant and more. The remodel is projected to last three years and cost $ 400 million. On March 26, 2020, the hotel closed temporarily, due to

10609-591: Was then owned by the Blackstone Group LP (60%), Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. (34.5%), and KSL Resorts (5.5%). When Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. bought its stake in 2006, the hotel was valued at $ 745 million; as of 2011, the hotel was valued at roughly $ 590 million. In 2014, Strategic Hotels & Resorts became full owners of the hotel. In December 2015, Blackstone purchased Strategic Hotels & Resorts. In March 2016, Blackstone sold Strategic Hotels & Resorts to Anbang Insurance Group ,

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