With America250 celebrations on the horizon, some of the country’s most historic hotels are reminding travelers that the best way to experience history isn’t always through museum exhibits.
Steeped in nostalgia, character and a profound sense of heritage, these storied properties have witnessed the people, events and eras that shaped the nation. More than places to spend the night, they offer guests an opportunity to connect with America’s past while enjoying the comforts of modern hospitality.
This is the first installment in our America250 series highlighting hotels where history checks in alongside unforgettable stays.
Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton
Opened: 1920 in Key West
History Made Here: A Flagler-era landmark that has weathered hurricanes, wartime service and decades of celebrity glamour.
Set along the largest private beach in Key West, Casa Marina Key West has been part of the island’s story for more than a century. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the resort was conceived by railroad magnate Henry Flagler as a retreat for affluent travelers arriving via railroad, which connected Key West to the Florida mainland as the final extension of the Florida East Coast Railway.
Designed by renowned architects behind New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, the New York Public Library and several landmark government buildings in Washington, D.C., the resort survived the devastating Great Hurricane of 1935 with little damage. During the 1940s, Casa Marina briefly served as U.S. Navy headquarters before reclaiming its status as one of Key West’s most fashionable addresses.
Over the years, presidents, socialites and Hollywood luminaries, including Gregory Peck, Rita Hayworth, Ethel Merman, Ezio Pinza and Gary Merrill, have passed through its doors. Today, guests can experience that legacy of Old Key West while unwinding on the resort’s 1,100-foot stretch of sand, indulging in spa treatments or enjoying cocktails at The Canary Room, inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s short story “A Canary for One.”
For more information, visit hilton.com.
Hilton Boston Park Plaza
Opened: 1927 in Boston
History Made Here: A pioneering “city within a city” that welcomed presidents, celebrities and generations of travelers in one of America’s most historic destinations.
As it approaches its centennial, Hilton Boston Park Plaza has long been woven into the fabric of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. When it opened on March 10, 1927, as The Statler Hotel, it represented a bold new vision for American hospitality.
Conceived by hotelier Ellsworth Statler as a self-contained “city within a city,” the property blended guestrooms, offices and an array of guest services under one roof. At the time, it was the largest independent hotel in New England and the eighth-largest hotel in the world.
Built with 1,300 guestrooms—each featuring a private bath and an innovative plumbing system designed by Statler himself—the hotel catered to a rapidly evolving America, serving both the emerging business traveler and middle-class families empowered by the rise of the automobile.
The hotel was remarkably ahead of its time. Radios were installed in every guestroom; the penthouse housed a broadcast studio for Boston radio station WBZ; and the property even featured its own print shop, carpentry shop, upholstery shop and the largest barber shop in New England.
Through the decades, the landmark hosted dignitaries including Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hollywood legends such as Katharine Hepburn and Judy Garland also graced its halls.
For more information, visit hilton.com.
Hotel del Coronado
Opened: 1888 in San Diego
History Made Here: An architectural and technological marvel that inspired literary legends and captivated U.S. Presidents and Hollywood royalty.
For more than 135 years, Hotel del Coronado has stood as one of America’s most iconic seaside retreats. Built in 1888 by Elisha Babcock Jr. and Hampton L. Story, the National Historic Landmark arrived at a time of extraordinary innovation and quickly became a symbol of the nation’s ambition and ingenuity.
“The Del” was considered a technological wonder. At a time when electricity remained a novelty, it was among the largest electrified buildings in the country and even supplied power to the community of Coronado.
The hotel’s legacy extends well beyond engineering achievements. Author L. Frank Baum, creator of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, spent months at a time at Hotel del Coronado between 1904 and 1917, writing at least three books in the Oz series during his stays.
Over the decades, U.S. Presidents, dignitaries and celebrities have added to the hotel’s storied history. President William Howard Taft visited Coronado before and after his time in office. President Franklin D. Roosevelt stayed at the resort in 1914, and President Richard Nixon hosted the first state dinner ever held outside the White House there in 1970.
Hollywood stars ranging from Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks to Marilyn Monroe also helped cement The Del’s place in American pop culture, with the resort serving as the backdrop for the 1958 classic Some Like It Hot.
Today, guests can immerse themselves in that history through tours and self-guided audio experiences before stepping onto the same sun-drenched beachfront that has captivated generations of travelers.
For more information, visit hoteldel.com.
