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Sonesta/Who We Are/Company Heritage/Timeline

Who We Are

For over 80 years, Sonesta has owned, managed, designed, built and marketed hotels throughout the world. Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is an outgrowth of Sonnabend Operated Hotels and Childs Restaurant Company. The merger of these two companies led to the founding of Hotel Corporation of America, one of the first major hotel companies in the world.

1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's
1937 A.M. “Sonny” Sonnabend purchased the Preston Beach Hotel in Massachusetts with 6 other investors.
1944 Newly formed Sonnabend Operated Hotels purchased the Biltmore, Whitehall and Palm Beach Country Club in Florida.
1948 Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago is purchased by Sonnabend Operated Hotels.
1950 Sonnabend Operated Hotels purchased the Hotel Cleveland and Terminal Tower.
1953 A.M. Sonnabend purchased the Plaza Hotel in New York from Hilton. This was followed by the sale of the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC and long-term lease on the Roosevelt Hotel in New York.
1st specialty restaurant in a hotel opens; the Rib Room at the Somerset in Boston.
1954 Sonny Sonnabend named Director and then President - Childs Restaurant Corporation.
1955 Child Restaurant Corporation buys 3 Sonnabend Operated Hotels.
1956 Child Restaurant Corporation changes its name to Hotel Corporation of America, founded as a publicly traded company with A.M. Sonnabend as President.
1959 1st International hotel built by Sonesta opens in San Juan.
1964 A.M. Sonnabend passes and sons Roger, Paul and Stephen redirect the company to be a hotel management company, rather than a real estate or finance company.
Charterhouse/Hotel Sonesta/Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston opens.
1969 Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans opens.
1970 HCA renamed Sonesta International Hotels Corporation.
1978 Sonesta introduces 1st Travel Agent Advisory Board, meeting annually since.
1982 Sonesta Hotel Cairo opens.
1983 Sonesta introduces Meeting Planner Advisory Board.
1989 1st Sonesta Cruise Ship – Sonesta Nile Goddess is launched.
1993 Sonesta Sun Goddess Cruise Ship launches in Egypt.
1994 Sonesta Beach Resort & Casino Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt opens.
1997 Sonesta St. George Hotel Luxor, opens in Egypt.
1998 Sonesta Club Sharm El Sheikh, opens in Egypt
Sonesta Hotel El Olivar Lima, Peru opens.
1999 Sonesta Posada del Inca Miraflores Lima, opens in Peru.
Sonesta Posada del Inca Cusco, opens in Peru.
Sonesta Posada del Inca Lake Titicaca Puno, opens in Peru.
Sonesta Posada del Inca Sacred Valley Yucay, opens in Peru.
2000 Sonesta Moon Goddess Cruise Ship launched in Egypt.
2002 Sonesta Posada del Inca Arequipa opens in Peru
Sonesta Hotel & Suites Coconut Grove opens in Florida.
2004 Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino rebranded in St. Maarten.
2006 Sonesta Star Goddess Cruise Ship launches in Egypt.
Sonesta St. George I cruise ship launches in Egypt.
Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort rebranded in St. Maarten.
2008 Sonesta Pharaoh Beach Resort Hurghada rebranded in Egypt.
2009 Sonesta Hotel Valledupar opens in Colombia.
Sonesta Hotel Osorno opens in Chile.
2010 Sonesta Hotel Cusco rebranded in Peru.
Le Royale - A Sonesta Luxury Resort opens in Sharm El Sheikh.
Sonesta Hotel Barranquilla in Colombia introduced.
2011 Sonesta Hotels in Bogota and Cartagena open in Colombia, and in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
2012 Sonesta International Hotels Corporation sold to a Newton-based affiliate of Hospitality Properties Trust.
Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island reflagged in April.
Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore reflagged in May.
Sonesta Hotel Philadelphia reflagged in June.
Royal Sonesta Hotel Houston reflagged in July.
Sonesta's newest brand the Sonesta ES Suites were introduced in Andover MA, Atlanta GA, Auburn Hills MI, Burlington MA, Charlotte NC, Columbia MD, Dublin OH, Flagstaff AZ, Houston TX, Orlando FL, Parsippany NJ, Princeton NJ, Malvern PA, St. Louis MO, Schaumburg IL and Somerset NJ over the summer.
2013 Sonesta Hotel Gwinnett Place Atlanta reflagged in May.
2014 Sonesta Fort Lauderdale reflags on May 30th.
2015 Sonesta Bee Cave Austin opens.
2016

Sonesta ES Suites brand expands with new hotels in Burlington, VT, Cincinnati, OH, Colorado Springs, CO, Minneapolis, MN, Monmouth Junction, NJ, Oklahoma City, OK, Omaha, NE, Somers Point, NJ and Tucson, AZ.

Sonesta ES Suites brand opens two new hotels Cleveland Westlake and Cleveland Airport

Sonesta Silicon Valley San Jose opens in December. 
2017

The Chase Park Plaza, A Royal Sonesta - St. Louis opens in June.

Sonesta Hotel Bucaramanga opens in September.

Sonesta ES Suites opens 14 hotels in one day with new locations in Vancouver, WA, Houston, TX, Memphis, TN, Cincinnati, OH, St. Louis, MO, Ann Arbor, MI, Chicago, IL, Atlanta, GA, Jacksonville, FL, Birmingham, AL.

Sonesta Travel Pass launches in South America where you can now earn and redeem points.

Sonesta opens their first dual brand in Gwinnett Place Atlanta: Sonesta ES Suites Gwinnett Place Atlanta and Sonesta Gwinnett Place Atlanta.
2018

Sonesta Travel Pass restructures its tier structure for redemptions to start as low at 15,000 points.

The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel in San Francisco, CA opens in May.

Sonesta Suites Scottsdale Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ opens in October.
2019

Sonesta Hotel Loja opened in February marking our second hotel in Ecuador.

Sonesta Hotel Arequipa was added to the collection in Peru in February.

Sonesta World Mastercard®, our first cobrand credit card is introduced in June.

Royal Sonesta Chicago Riverfront and Sonesta Irvine join the portfolio in November.

Sonesta ES Suites New Orleans opened its doors in the bio-medical district in December.
2020 Sonesta Atlanta Northwest, Sonesta Suites Dallas Park Central, Sonesta ES Suites Dallas Park Central, and Sonesta Hamilton Park Morristown Hotel & Conference Center joined the portfolio in September.