Fresh news about old airport hotels

Where was the first airport hotel in the United States?

Oakland Airport Inn

Oakland Airport Inn – courtesy Pacific Aerial Survey, GeoSpatial

For a column to post on USA Today later this week, I’ve been having fun researching the location and history of the earliest airport hotels.

To no suprise, several hotels lay claim to this title.

Candidates include a Hilton that no longer exists near San Francisco International Airport; The Dearborn Inn, which still exists near what was once the Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan; and our winner: the Oakland Airport Inn at Oakland International Airport.

Oakland Airport Inn - restaurant. Port of Oakland

Oakland Airport Inn – restaurant. Port of Oakland

When it opened in 1928, the hotel was a marvel to behold, with 37 rooms, a restaurant, a barbershop and an airline ticket office. Among its guests: Amelia Earhart and othe early aviation pioneers.

Stay tuned for more details about the earliest airport hotels.

 

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