For almost 3 years now the Hermosa has been undergoing some cosmetic and important updates. Most of the showers are still small (we hear you expedia reviews) but we are a 100 year building with the original layouts intact. What we can do is freshen up everyone’s favorite oldest hotel on the island. Our team is adding to the layers of paint but also working to ensure that the Hermosa has another 120 years of welcoming island guests.
The Hermosa has always been a hotel – with summer cottages welcoming guests and summer getaways for over a century. The add-ons through the years can be noted by the architecturalist who will see the changing trim from floor to floor. As only her fourth owner the McKinney Group and Five Oceans Hospitality team were not shy to take on this challenge.
Step by step (and there are many) new doors, windows, and lighting have been updated. Likewise things that guests will appreciate are the matching paint colors, linens, and new curtains being changed out room by room. The Hermosa does not have 2 matching rooms providing an opportunity to personalize in each room. The main hotel now offers quaint rooms with palm prints to help balance the many corners and angles – welcoming the charm and not distracting from it.
As new neighbors on Metropole the team got to know their neighbors and one of those being the museum presented a perfect opportunity. Together digging through the archives the McKinney and Catalina Island Museum team identified photos that celebrate the generations of guests which have visited the island. There are a handful of Casino photos but what we truly wanted to celebrate are the guests of the island – you!
The hallways of the hotel now showcase the tent city of the 1800s to the Hollywood glory days of the 1940s. Ladies in full gowns pose on the beach in one photo while others in modest attire and swim caps wave at the camera in another. Aerial photos show the evolution of Avalon from a small rural encampment to a bustling holiday beach town.
The cottages recently did some summer-prep as well. After many hours and piles all over the museum office floor, the team assembled selections of favorite Catalina pastimes. In one cottage you will find the old tennis courts lined with crowds and a match holding everyone’s attention. In another cottage children play on the beach with a small goat (there must have been a story there). Dream about the horse in one cottage or the bison that captivated the (sleeping) cowboy in another cottage. Each cottage has a unique story to imagine, leaving our guests now to fill in the blanks. Why was there a lady with a leopard on the steamer’s pier?
Our love of scuba is evident in the carriage house family unit with vintage models dawning the first scuba gear to promote the island’s favorite underwater activity. Upstairs there are women playing with a basketball between two original water-sleds. Next to an enthusiastic young man is a woman holding a cup and saucer while enjoying a ride. How fun!
The hair styles give away the decade but not the real story behind each fun moment captured on film. We cannot wait to hear your theories and backstories of each photo.
We are grateful for the support of the museum in allowing us to celebrate the fun history Catalina has to offer. Tag your adventure @hermosahotel and @catalinaislandmuseum on instagram and maybe your family photos will be a part of the archives one day!
To purchase your own photos please visit: https://www.catalinamuseum.org/prints
Book a cottage or family room to be a part of Hermosa and the Island magic.