California's Western White Houses: Presidents on the Pacific Coast

California has drawn presidents since the age of the railroad. Benjamin Harrison became the first sitting president to visit the state in 1891, and in the century since, its grand hotels have become stages for state dinners, summits, and some of the most poignant moments in presidential history.

Hotel del Coronado, Curio Collection by Hilton

With its red turrets and white Victorian wings rising from the sand, the Hotel del Coronado has been a presidential destination almost from the day it opened in 1888. In April 1891, President Benjamin Harrison arrived by cross-country train as the first sitting president to visit San Diego, and he and the first lady breakfasted at the hotel with California's governor and local dignitaries. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt stayed at the Del in 1935 to attend the California Pacific International Exposition.

On September 3, 1970, President Richard Nixon hosted a state dinner for Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz beneath the soaring timber ceiling of the Crown Room. The guests included former President Lyndon B. Johnson and California Governor Ronald Reagan, so a sitting president, a former president, and a future president all dined in the room that evening. Reagan later returned as president to host Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid at the hotel in 1982, and George H.W. Bush, an avid tennis player, stayed here both before and during his presidency.

Book an ocean-facing room in the original Victorian building, dine in the Crown Room, and walk the wide beach at sunset.

Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Francisco

San Francisco's Palace Hotel has hosted presidents since Ulysses S. Grant's time, but it is forever linked to one somber summer. In late July 1923, an exhausted President Warren G. Harding arrived from a long western tour and checked into the eighth-floor Presidential Suite with his wife, Florence. On the evening of August 2, as Florence read aloud to him, Harding died suddenly. He remains the only president to have died in San Francisco.

The Palace itself is a monument to San Francisco's resilience. The original 1875 hotel was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, and the current building opened on the same site in 1909. Its centerpiece is the Garden Court, a breathtaking dining room beneath a stained-glass dome, one of the most beautiful interiors in the American West. The hotel keeps a small museum of its history, including Harding's stay, and the Presidential Suite can still be booked.

Fairmont Century Plaza

The Century Plaza opened in 1966 on the former backlot of 20th Century Fox and quickly became the West Coast's political stage. On August 13, 1969, President Nixon hosted a state dinner in the ballroom to honor the Apollo 11 astronauts, just weeks after their return from the Moon.

No president made himself more at home here than Ronald Reagan. He stayed so often during his presidency that the press dubbed the hotel his "Western White House," and he worked from the president's suite on visits to Los Angeles. He celebrated his 1984 reelection on the hotel's ballroom stage, and he returned that December to spend the holidays with family in his suite.

After a five-year transformation, the hotel reopened in 2021 as the Fairmont Century Plaza, and the presidential tradition continued: Joe Biden stayed overnight here in June 2024 during a visit to Los Angeles. Its sweeping curved facade, one of the great landmarks of mid-century Los Angeles, has been carefully restored.

The Beverly Hilton

A few miles west, at the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards, the Beverly Hilton has been a Hollywood institution since Conrad Hilton opened it in 1955. It is best known as the longtime home of the Golden Globe Awards, held in its International Ballroom.

On November 25, 2013, after a day of events in San Francisco and Los Angeles, President Barack Obama checked into the Beverly Hilton for the night. It wasn't his first time: he had also used the hotel as his base during a campaign visit to Los Angeles in October 2012. For travelers, the hotel offers mid-century glamour at a more relaxed price than some of its neighbors, with poolside cabanas and easy access to Rodeo Drive.

Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

Tucked into a quiet residential street on the edge of Beverly Hills, the Four Seasons is a favorite of Hollywood insiders who value discretion. On July 23, 2014, President Barack Obama flew down from the Bay Area, checked in, attended events in Los Angeles, and returned to the hotel for the night. Expect lush gardens, a rooftop pool with views over the city, and some of the most attentive service in Los Angeles.

Fairmont San Francisco

High atop Nob Hill, the Fairmont has hosted nearly every president from William Howard Taft onward, and its rooftop Penthouse Suite has been used so often by presidents that the hotel has been nicknamed the "White House of the West." In 1945, it served as a backdrop for the United Nations Conference on International Organization, which produced the UN's founding charter. Ride the cable car to the door, then take in the gilded lobby and the famous Tonga Room tiki bar downstairs.

InterContinental San Francisco

Rising above the South of Market district near the Moscone Center, the InterContinental is a sleek, contemporary counterpoint to the Palace. President Obama stayed here on April 3, 2013, flying in from Denver for the night. The upper-floor rooms frame sweeping views of the city and the bay, and the museums of the Yerba Buena district are a short walk away.

Plan your stay: Explore more hotels in San Francisco, Coronado, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills

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About this guide: Presidential connections are drawn from public sources, including official White House schedules, presidential and historical archives, and reputable news outlets, as well as the hotels' own published histories. Hotel names, ownership, and amenities may have changed since publication. This information is provided for general interest, is not guaranteed, and should be independently verified. Hotelaholic is not affiliated with or endorsed by any U.S. president or government agency.