Hotel del Coronado

1500 Orange Ave.
Coronado, CA 92118
hoteldel.com

CORONADO, CALIF.— The opening of the famed Hotel del Coronado in 1888 garnered internationally media attention. Likened to an ornate wedding cake crossed with a well-trimmed ship, this showpiece of the West Coast was one of the largest buildings in the U.S. to have electric lights, telephones, elevators and numerous private bathrooms. There was also state-of-the-art fire fighting equipment and a fire alarm system.

Credited with Coronado peninsula's transformation from sage brush and dunes to this stunning resort were two gents, H.L. Story and Elisha Babcock. They purchased Coronado peninsula for $110,000. Serving as a model for the construction of the Hotel del Coronado was the Chart House within view, situated on the bay. It was enthusiastically received for its architectural esthetics.

Hotel del Coronado is a National Historic Landmark. It has welcomed and hosted at least 10 presidents of the United States and England's Prince of Whales (King Edward VIII.) It is best known as the film location for Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.

Dignitaries and stars at the hotel:

• The Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum visited and may have designed chandeliers in hotel - 1904
• Glenn Curtiss flew 1st hydroplane launched from a ship anchored just off the hotel's shores -1911
• The Prince of Wales visited the hotel during a round-the-world cruise. - 1920
• Charles Lindbergh's gala dinner for his historic transatlantic flight -  Spirit of St. Louis - 1927
• President Franklin Delano Roosevelt came to The Del several times during his presidency - 1928
• Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon filmed at Hotel del - 1958
• President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz was the guest of President Richard Nixon at state dinner - 1970
• Hotel became a National Historic Landmark - 1977
• The Stunt Man with Peter O'Toole was filmed at there - 1980
• Ronald Reagan held a summit in 1982 for Mexican president Miguel de la Madrid - 1982

Name a celebrity and its quite likely that he or she has visited the hotel. Silent film stars Charlie Chaplin, Brad Pitt, Madonna,  and an endless list of wealthy guests have made a temporary nest in the grand hotel. A few guests gained fame for staying at Hotel del and apparently never leaving — even after death.

Like the Queen Mary in Long Beach, ghost experts and folks ranging from hotel employees to guests have cited many unexplained occurrences throughout the years.  There's a story that's survived the decades about one hotel guest who never left. It's called The Story of Kate Morgan.

"The elegant Hotel Del Coronado was opened in 1888 and soon became a favored destination for people from all over the world. It is not long after the Hotel's opening that our ghost story starts.

Tom and Kate Morgan were a married couple who rode the trains in the late 1800s. Their occupation: con artists. Kate was apparently very attractive, and would lure men into a game of cards with her "brother" (Tom), so that they could prove their worth. Tom would swindle them out of whatever money they were willing to part with, and this is how the Morgans made their living.

In November of 1892, however, Kate discovered she was pregnant and wanted to stop the train racket and settle down. While the two were riding towards San Diego, they had an argument because Tom did not want to change his lifestyle. Tom disembarked at either Los Angeles or Orange County. He was supposed to meet Kate in San Diego for Thanksgiving.

Kate continued on to San Diego and checked into the Hotel Del Coronado under the name "Lottie Anderson Bernard". There she waited for Tom, but Thanksgiving came and went with no sign of him. She checked other hotels in the area but could not find him anywhere. During this time, Kate complained to various staff members of feeling ill and reports of the time indicate that she was looking pale. It is suspected that she performed an abortion on herself.

It is known that while Kate was waiting for her missing husband, she ventured into San Diego and bought a gun. It was shortly after this that Kate was found shot in the head on some steps leading down to the beach, an apparent suicide.

For years everyone accepted that the death was a suicide, until 1990, when Alan May (a lawyer who specializes in murder cases) published the book The Legend of Kate Morgan: The Search for the Ghost of the Hotel del Coronado. (BTW, this book is available in the Signature Shop at the hotel.) May pored through old records from the time of Kate's death. He came to the eventual conclusion that Kate did not kill herself, but was murdered by her husband. There are several pieces of evidence supporting this theory, the most compelling of which is the fact that the bullet in Kate's head was of a different caliber than the ones in the gun she bought. Also, the position her body was found in was not consistent with a suicide.

The Ghost
The room Kate checked into was 302, which is now room 3312. But that is not the only haunted room. Room 3502, which was once a maid's room, is also considered haunted. Both rooms have experienced oddly functioning electrical equipment (lights turning on and off, etc) and cold breezes. Maids report that objects are moved around by unseen hands. Guests in the rooms (those who were brave enough to stay the night!) have exper- ienced oppressive feelings and curtains that move even though the windows are closed. Other people swear they have heard murmurings coming from somewhere in the room. Kate's ghost has been seen walking down hallways of the hotel and standing at windows. According to Alan May, an electrician told him that the light over the steps where Kate died will not stay lit. The bulb is replaced constantly, but the light always winks out. May also claims that while he was staying in one of the haunted rooms [the sources I have do not make it clear which one], he saw a face on the television (which was, of course, turned off at the time). This sighting was supposedly verified by one or two hotel employees.

Room 3502 has a history of its own. Apparently, the maid who was living there during Kate's stay may have become friends with Kate. What is known is that the day after Kate's funeral, the maid disappeared. There is some speculation that Tom Morgan may have killed the maid as well as his wife. One story even theorizes that when hotel staff found the maid's body, they surreptitiously removed it so as not to further upset the guests!"