A Brief History of the Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, California
California-based professional Julia Cominos leverages more than 20 years of experience in operations and general management to provide services as a strategic advisor and business strategist to startup ventures. Julia Cominos is the daughter of Theodore “Ted” Cominos, Sr., an accomplished attorney in Salinas who was recognized by the Monterey County Bar Association in 2019.
The son of immigrants, Cominos, Sr. began working as a waiter at the old Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, California. Built in 1880 by Charles Crocker, the Hotel Del Monte featured just over 100 suites and rooms. It was a luxury resort that catered to the emerging leisure class in America and many at the time expected to fail. In fact, it quickly earned the nickname Crocker’s Folly among skeptics. However, once the resort opened, it proved them wrong and brought in more than $11,000 after its first month in operation.
Despite stumbling through the death of Crocker and a fire in 1887, the Hotel Del Monte became a fast favorite among presidents, royalty, heads of state, and other members of the upper class. It was surrounded by nearly 7,000 acres of land, including a 125-acre botanical garden and golf course that was built in 1897. An art gallery also opened at the resort in 1907, along with a church.
Over the next several decades, the Hotel Del Monte continued having ups and downs. A good portion of the original structure was damaged in an earthquake in 1906, and a second fire created more problems for the venue in 1924. Still, the resort continued welcoming guests until the Navy purchased both the hotel and 627 acres of land in 1947. With this, the hotel and its grounds were turned into the Naval Postgraduate School, an institution that continues to occupy the former Hotel Del Monte site today.
