A key is more than metal if you know the hotel behind it. Short, sourced histories of the hotels in our collection, each linked to its keys. Facts only, with a source for every one.
The hotel that moved. The original Waldorf-Astoria, built in two stages in the 1890s, was demolished in 1929 to make way for the Empire State Building. The Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue was completed in 1931 and was the world's tallest hotel until 1957. So a key from the Park Avenue hotel is from the second Waldorf, not the first.
Sources, read Nov 4, 2026: [W7]
Electric light, lifts and bathrooms. The Savoy opened on August 6, 1889, built by Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas. It was the first hotel in Britain to introduce electric lights throughout, along with electric lifts and bathrooms in most rooms.
Sources, read Nov 4, 2026: [W9]
Established 1887, a national monument since 1987. Raffles Hotel was established in 1887 by the Sarkies Brothers, Armenian hoteliers, and named after Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore. It was gazetted as a national monument of Singapore in 1987.
Sources, read Nov 4, 2026: [W10]
Opened 1930, high above Havana Bay. The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is a Spanish eclectic style hotel on Taganana Hill, on the sea front of Havana's Vedado district. It opened in 1930.
Sources, read Nov 4, 2026: [W11]
Morris Lapidus's 1954 showpiece. The Fontainebleau Miami Beach was designed by Morris Lapidus and opened in 1954. On April 18, 2012 the AIA's Florida Chapter ranked it first on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.
Sources, read Nov 4, 2026: [W12]
A rare wooden Victorian beach resort. The Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, California is a rare surviving example of the wooden Victorian beach resort. It was designated a California Historical Landmark in 1970 and a National Historic Landmark in 1977, and is the second-largest wooden structure in the United States.
Sources, read Nov 4, 2026: [W13]
Many of the Strip's classics are gone. The Sands (opened Dec 15, 1952, imploded Nov 26, 1996), the Desert Inn (opened Apr 24, 1950, closed Aug 28, 2000) and the Dunes (opened May 23, 1955, North Tower imploded Oct 27, 1993) are all gone, as is the Stardust (opened Jul 2, 1958, imploded Mar 13, 2007) and the Riviera (opened Apr 20, 1955, closed May 4, 2015). That is why their keys have a following. See the full list of lost hotels.
Want the story on a card to give with the key? Print a free story card. For demolished hotels, see lost hotels.
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