An iconic Southern California hotel is joining Hilton’s soft brand Curio Collection.
The century old Hotel del Coronado near San Diego is the latest member of Hilton’s growing independent brand and becomes part of the Curio portfolio later this month.
Hilton is taking over management from KSL Resorts but doesn’t foresee any major changes ahead.
The hotel already has a strong identity all its own, built over 129 years, and Hilton doesn’t plan to interfere with that.
"It’s been truly an independent hotel and we’re not looking to change it in any way. What we’re doing is coming in as an operator to help strengthen the performance of the hotel, and the owners get the buying power behind the Hilton organization," said Mark Nogal, global head of Curio.
"We don’t want to change that independent identity that the Del has. It will always be the Hotel del Coronado."
While keeping its independence, the 757-room oceanfront resort will be able to leverage Hilton’s global distribution, marketing exposure and 64 million loyalty members.
The hotel was almost sold to China’s Anbang Insurance Co last year but was pulled from the sale at the last minute by the government due to its close proximity to the Coronado Naval Base.
The Curio Collection currently consists of 39 four- and five-star independent properties which include the Boulders Resort in Arizona and the Renwick in New York.
