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- Follow in the star-studded footsteps of some of Fairmont Breakers Long Beach’s former guests. Thanks to the hotel’s stunning ocean-view setting, elegant architecture, and location not far from Los Angeles, The Breakers Hotel was a favorite haunt of Hollywood celebrities like Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, John Wayne, and Errol Flynn. The Breakers saw other icons pass through its doors, too, including Major League Baseball heavy hitter Babe Ruth and world-famous aviator Charles Lindbergh. The rich and famous would come to dine and dance in the famed Sky Room and escape the harsh glow of the spotlight for a little while. Still, nothing gold can stay, not even for the stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Although The Breakers provided a temporary reprieve, the cameras and flashing lights were never too far away. In fact, the Hollywoodland sign (the “land” wasn’t removed from the Los Angeles icon until 1949) could actually be seen on a clear day from the hotel’s famed Sky Room, a constant reminder of the ever-present limelight that awaited Tinseltown VIPs just 30 minutes north.
- Learn why Fairmont Breakers Long Beach is the place “Where Lindbergh Saw the Light.” It was the early morning hours of May 31, 1928, just a year and 10 days after he completed the first solo trans-Atlantic flight, and Charles Lindbergh was lost. What should have been an easy flight from Arizona to San Francisco via Los Angeles was turned upside down by dense fog—that is until Lucky Lindy saw the glowing “B” of The Breakers Hotel sign, then only two years old, shining through the haze. Using the sign as a beacon, Lindbergh followed the light until his Spirit of St. Louis airplane broke through the fog, allowing him to make a surprise, 3-AM landing at Daugherty Field, which itself had opened only five years earlier. After touching down safely, Lindbergh was whisked away to none other than The Breakers Hotel to rest before continuing his journey. Hours later, he left the comfort of his room to make the trip back to the airport, requiring a police escort to get through the throng of hopeful onlookers who had gathered at the hotel. Today, that same sign that saved Lindbergh around a century ago still glitters from atop Fairmont Breakers, a shining reminder of the hotel’s place in Long Beach history.
- Discover the role The Breakers Hotel played in the efforts of the War Department during World War II. Given the hotel’s prime location not far from the coast and inside a 15-story building with sweeping views of the Pacific, The Breakers took an active role in defensive measures for the region. The Sky Room hosted the headquarters for a local branch of the Ground Observer Corps, harnessing its lofty perch overlooking the ocean to keep watch for German or Japanese aircraft, while naval officers used the restaurant for their daily planning. The rooftop even saw the installation of two pillboxes with gun mountings for harbor defense, one of which remained in place until 1991.
- Marvel at the hotel’s painstaking, $150-million renovation. Spanning from 2017 to 2024, the multi-year rejuvenation process restored the building in all its glory. As a Long Beach Historic Landmark, the developers sought to keep as many of the structure’s original features as possible, while also revamping it for modern standards. With the help of the initial blueprints, the lobby level retains many authentic elements, like ornately carved coffered ceilings and column capitals. The end result brings Fairmont Breakers Long Breach into a true hospitality renaissance, opening as the city’s first luxury boutique hotel.
