Hotel Paso del Norte

Hotel Paso del Norte is a historic hotel in El Paso, Texas, located less than one mile north of the international border with Mexico. The property originally opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1912 and was created as an ambitious civic and commercial landmark for the growing border city. El Paso businessman Zack T. White financed its construction, while architect Henry Charles Trost of Trost & Trost designed the building. The reported construction cost was $1.5 million, reflecting White's intention to create one of the city's strongest and most elaborate structures. The hotel's design was influenced by lessons White and Trost sought after a major fire in El Paso and their investigation of buildings that had survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. Its most recognizable interior feature is a large lobby crowned by a stained-glass dome more than 45 feet in diameter, executed in a Tiffany-style aesthetic. The building's architecture, scale, and proximity to the border made it an important setting for business, politics, travel, entertainment, and cross-border observation throughout the twentieth century. The property became especially notable during the Mexican Revolution. In 1914, guests reportedly used the hotel's rooftop terraces to watch fighting between revolutionary forces and the Mexican Army across the border. Over more than a century, the hotel also accommodated numerous presidents, public officials, military figures, entertainers, athletes, and touring musicians. Its guest history has included U.S. presidents William Howard Taft, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, as well as figures such as Pancho Villa, General John J. Pershing, Amelia Earhart, Enrico Caruso, Will Rogers, Gregory Peck, Harrison Ford, and Sandra Day O'Connor. The cited historical record also associates the hotel with major music acts and professional sports teams. The hotel changed ownership and operating arrangements several times during the twentieth century. A 17-story north-side addition was completed in 1986, expanding the original property. The Mexican hotel group Camino Real Hotels operated the building under The Camino Real name for approximately three decades. In October 2016, Camino Real sold the property to The Meyers Group. The Meyers Group subsequently worked with local El Paso development partner Two Sabes LLC on a major renovation and restoration, while restoring the historic Hotel Paso del Norte identity. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 5, 1979. It closed temporarily in 2018 for substantial renovation and restoration and reopened on October 8, 2020, as part of Marriott's Autograph Collection. Its current positioning combines historic architecture, restored public spaces, full-service lodging, and affiliation with Marriott's independently minded luxury-and-upscale hotel collection. The property remains an active hotel serving leisure travelers, business visitors, groups, and guests drawn to El Paso's cultural and border-region setting.

Hotel Paso del Norte was developed in the early twentieth century as a major hotel for El Paso, a strategically located city on the United States–Mexico border. El Paso businessman Zack T. White financed the project, seeking to create a hotel that would be both exceptionally durable and visually impressive. Architect Henry Charles Trost, working through the firm Trost & Trost, designed the building. White and Trost had previously considered the lessons of destructive urban fires and traveled to San Francisco to study structures that had survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. The resulting hotel reportedly cost $1.5 million, an unusually ambitious investment for the period. The property opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1912. Its architecture included a highly ornamented public interior and a prominent lobby dome more than 45 feet across, using stained glass in a Tiffany-style design. The building quickly became a center of El Paso's civic, commercial, and social life. Its location also gave it a distinctive role in border history. During the Mexican Revolution, particularly in 1914, people used the hotel's rooftop terraces as viewing points for fighting between revolutionary forces and the Mexican Army in Mexico. Across the following decades, the hotel hosted a wide range of prominent visitors. The documented guest history includes several presidents of the United States, senior military and government figures, actors, musicians, athletes, and other public personalities. This history reinforced the property's identity as more than ordinary lodging: it functioned as a recognizable meeting place and landmark in a city shaped by international commerce, transportation, military activity, and cultural exchange. The property experienced several ownership changes during the twentieth century. In 1986, a 17-story addition was built on the north side of the original hotel, increasing its accommodation and operational capacity while extending the complex's physical presence. For about 30 years, the Mexican hotel group Camino Real Hotels operated the property under the name The Camino Real. In October 2016, Camino Real sold the building to The Meyers Group. The building's historic importance was formally recognized when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 5, 1979. Later, The Meyers Group partnered with local El Paso developer Two Sabes LLC on an extensive renovation and restoration. The hotel closed temporarily in 2018 while this work was undertaken. The project aimed to renew the operating property while restoring the historic Hotel Paso del Norte identity and its significant architectural elements. The hotel reopened on October 8, 2020, as part of Marriott's Autograph Collection. This affiliation placed the property within Marriott's portfolio of individually characterized hotels while preserving the hotel's own name and local identity. The reopened hotel is described as a 351-room property and continues to combine accommodations, events, hospitality services, and heritage architecture. Its location near the international border remains central to its character, connecting the restored landmark to El Paso's contemporary role as a major metropolitan and cross-border center.

• 2020

  Reopens in Marriott Autograph Collection

  [1]Hotel Paso del Norteen.wikipedia.org

  The restored hotel reopens on October 8 under the Hotel Paso del Norte name as part of Marriott's Autograph Collection.

• 2018

  Renovation closure begins

  [1]Hotel Paso del Norteen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel temporarily closes for a substantial renovation and restoration project.

• 2016

  Property changes ownership

  [1]Hotel Paso del Norteen.wikipedia.org

  Camino Real Hotels sells the building to The Meyers Group in October.

• 1986

  North-side tower addition completed

  [1]Hotel Paso del Norteen.wikipedia.org

  A 17-story addition is constructed on the north side of the historic hotel.

• 1979

  National Register of Historic Places listing

  [1]Hotel Paso del Norteen.wikipedia.org

  The building is added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 5.

• 1914

  Hotel becomes a vantage point during the Mexican Revolution

  [1]Hotel Paso del Norteen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel's rooftop terraces are used by observers watching fighting across the border between revolutionary forces and the Mexican Army.

• 1912

  Hotel opens on Thanksgiving Day

  [1]Hotel Paso del Norteen.wikipedia.org

  Hotel Paso del Norte opens in El Paso after construction financed by Zack T. White and designed by Trost & Trost.

A historic, design-led full-service hotel that combines an early twentieth-century El Paso landmark, restored architectural details, border-city heritage, and Marriott Autograph Collection affiliation.

• Accommodation · 1912

  Guest rooms and suites

  The property provides approximately 351 rooms in a full-service historic hotel setting. Its accommodation offer combines the original landmark structure with the later north-side tower addition and is intended for leisure, business, group, and event-related stays.

• Heritage hospitality · 1912

  Historic hotel experience

  The hotel's distinctive offering is the use of a preserved early twentieth-century landmark as a hospitality environment. The lobby's large Tiffany-style stained-glass dome and the building's long association with border-city history are central elements of the guest experience.

• Events and banquets

  Meetings and events

  As a large, full-service hotel in central El Paso, the property offers a venue for meetings, social functions, and other organized events. The historic public spaces and restored architectural character support its role as an event and hospitality destination.

• 2020

  Reopening under Marriott Autograph CollectionStrategy

  Background

  Following the renovation and restoration period, the property returned to service with a renewed historic positioning.

  Action taken

  Hotel Paso del Norte reopened on October 8, 2020, as part of Marriott's Autograph Collection.

  Aftermath

  The hotel resumed operations as an independently named historic property within Marriott's international collection platform.

  Source

• 2018

  Major renovation and historic restorationStrategy

  Background

  The property required substantial work before returning to operation as a restored historic hotel.

  Action taken

  The Meyers Group and local development partner Two Sabes LLC temporarily closed the hotel and undertook a substantial renovation and restoration program.

  Aftermath

  The project enabled the hotel to reopen in 2020 under its historic identity and a new collection affiliation.

  Source

• 2016

  Sale from Camino Real Hotels to The Meyers GroupM&A

  Background

  After approximately three decades of operation under the Camino Real name, the historic hotel was sold in October 2016.

  Action taken

  Camino Real Hotels transferred the property to The Meyers Group, which later pursued redevelopment with Two Sabes LLC.

  Aftermath

  The transaction preceded the property's major renovation, restoration, name restoration, and later Marriott Autograph Collection affiliation.

  Source

1. 1Hotel Paso del Norteen.wikipedia.org