After more than six years of renovation and construction, the Hotel del Coronado, which is widely considered to be one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, has finally opened its doors to the public.
“I must say, it looks better without the scaffolding,” a smiling JP Oliver, the hotel’s area managing director stated. “There’s never been a refurbishment like this in 137 years of this property.”
It was reported by Oliver that Hilton, the owner of the hotel, has spent a total of $550 million over the course of the past six years to improve and expand the iconic location.
More than 750 rooms are now available, in addition to two additional restaurants and approximately 300 additional employees. At the same time, construction was responsible for the creation of thousands of jobs.
“We believe that it will certainly take us into the next century,” Oliver continued.
Both the actress Brooke Shields and the representative Scott Peters presided over the grand re-opening ceremony of the Hotel del Coronado. Representative Peters expressed his hope that the Del’s grand re-opening would be a positive development for Coronado.
“I’m so proud of this place,” Peters stated. “This is a really defining characteristic of our whole region.”
Peters had high hopes that the island community, which is still dealing with raw sewage in the ocean that is flowing up from Mexico, would receive additional positive news.
Read Also: Florida Lawmakers Approve Charter School Expansion on Final Day of Session
“We’ve been working really hard on making sure that the water is clean here,” Peters stated. “We’ve been making really great progress. We hope that in the summer that means cleaner beaches here.”
Just recently, the wastewater treatment plant in Tijuana underwent repairs, and this year, a larger plant in San Ysidro is under construction for expansion. According to Peters, this should mark the beginning of cleaner days, possibly as early as this summer.
“We want to welcome everyone back with our arms wide open,” Oliver stated.
Since its founding in 1888, the Hotel del Coronado has been a host to guests. According to Oliver, they are in a good position to continue to welcome them for many more decades to come.
