The hotel has been described as a “lovely place” to stay the night. And there is plenty of room-provided you make a reservation weeks in advance.
For years, the Hotel California in the sleepy coastal getaway of Todos Santos, Mexico, has reminded people of the indelible Eagles song that shares its name. And for years, the Eagles have denied that the sunset-hued boutique property has any connection to their 1976 soft-rock hit.
But this week, the Eagles sued the operators of the hotel in Los Angeles federal court, accusing them and others of unlawfully cashing in on their song and infringing on the band’s trademark rights.
The hotel leads “US consumers to believe that [it] is associated with the Eagles and, among other things, served as the inspiration for the lyrics in ‘Hotel California,’ which is false,” states the complaint.
Representatives for Hotel California weren’t available to comment on Tuesday.
The hotel’s marketing materials are coy about its Eagles ties. “Many visitors are mesmerized by the ‘coincidences’ between the lyrics of the hit song and the physicality of the hotel and its surroundings,” its website says.
But there is also a disclaimer saying its owners don’t “have any affiliation with the Eagles, nor do they promote any association.”
Hotel California opened in the Baja peninsula in 1950, more than a quarter-century before the Eagles song pervaded pop culture. The suit alleges it was later known as Todos Santos Hotel.
In 2001, a Canadian couple bought the hotel, remodeled it and resurrected the original Hotel California name.
The lawsuit filed Monday alleges that some hotel guests really believe they are sleeping in music history. “THE Hotel California of Eagles fame,” reads one TripAdvisor review cited in an exhibit accompanying the complaint.
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