Hotel del Coronado

Coronado, California

The Hotel del Coronado has been delighting guests since 1888 and recently underwent a renovation aimed to breathe new life into the legendary beach resort. As the leader of the design team, GSB, Inc. coordinated the efforts of all consultants and performed the following tasks for the renovation and restoration scope of the Guestrooms Renovation Project.

Exterior Facades - GSB modeled the entirety of the hotel façade and documented the restoration and renovation scope for the façade in all guestroom areas which comprises most of the building facade. The effort included the design of a new exit stair tower for life safety and the reconstruction of the west façade to coordinate with the new room layouts and be more representative of the original Victorian rhythm of the façade and fenestration pattern. The scope included the restoration and reconfiguration of the façade windows to coordinate with new rooms design and be more historically correct in their pattern and Victorian configuration. The project also included the restoration of four original balconies over the north entry, restoration of existing towers, and the exterior of the courtyard Garden Room, the courtyard Crown Room entry, and repairs to the Signature Shop retail space facade.

Courtyard - GSB modeled and documented the façade of the courtyard including the exterior of the Garden Room, the Crown Room entry, and repairs to the Signature Shop retail space façade. GSB coordinated the design team restoration of the courtyard including utilities, lighting, hardscape, and landscape which included the restoration of the historic Naiad Queen fountain.

Interiors - GSB designed the interior renovation of the hotel layout to improve existing odd spaces and increase room count from 367 keys to 404 keys, thus achieving the owner’s goal of maximizing the number of guestroom keys. GSB documented the interior design scope and finishes by Wimberly Interiors and coordinated the design team effort to replace the existing Mechanical, Electrical, Lighting, Plumbing, and Fire Protection systems led by exp.

This project has received numerous awards including:
2025 Save Our Heritage Organisation People in Preservation Award, “Commercial Restoration: Full Building Renovation”
2025 Engineering News Record-West Regional Best Project in Southern California, “Best Renovation/Restoration” category for the Victorian Building

Photos by Heritage Architecture & Planning, historic architect consultant for the project.