The Hotel Carrillo had been open for only two years when a 6.3 earthquake struck Santa Barbara in 1925, leaving much of the downtown business district destroyed or badly damaged.

Newspaper reports in Los Angeles initially claimed that the hotel had been ‘split in half’ by the force of the quake but in fact the building suffered minor damage and was soon back in business. And, because of the early hour that the quake struck, only 13 people died.

Carrillo’s claim to fame was its 200 rooms and 200 bathrooms – an amenity it proudly boasted about in colorful adverts showing Mexican staff in giant sombreros.

The hotel also had a coffee shop, casino, cocktail bar and the Eldorado dining room.

The historic Carrillo changed owners several times and became the Hotel Andalusia and the Canary Hotel until the building was condemned and demolished in 1998 because it could not meet local seismic regulations.

There is now a luxury Kimpton hotel near the original site.