The Cominos Hotel Was Once the Premier Hotel of Central California

Julia Cominos is a Los Angeles-based business consultant and strategist who serves multiple high-end retail clients, including art studios and full-service day spas. Julia Cominos’s grandfather, uncles, and father were owners and operators of the well-known Cominos Hotel in Salinas, California.

George and Mike Cominos bought the building in 1919, which was then named the Abbott House Hotel. After an extensive renovation, the newly named Cominos Hotel was the premier place for visitors to stay while visiting the central Californian coast. Featuring the first elevator in the area, prominent elected officials, such as William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, and Calvin Coolidge, stayed at the Cominos Hotel. California’s governors and state legislators also frequented the hotel. 

The Cominos Hotel also hosted many of Salina’s important events, such as weddings, formal balls, and town meetings. The hotel was immortalized in the writings of John Steinbeck, who also stayed there while visiting Salinas. After a long, successful run, the Cominos family sold the hotel in the 1960s. The building was levelled after it was badly damaged in a 1989 earthquake.