Eagles stop Mexican hotel using name Hotel California

Rock band The Eagles have settled a lawsuit to stop a hotel using the name ‘Hotel California’.

Owners of the 11-bedroom Hotel California, in Todos Santos, Mexico, withdrew their application to trademark the name in the United States, leading the musicians’ lawyers to end a legal action.

The venue was accused of wrongly encouraging guests to believe the Eagles had given their backing to the guesthouse – for instance, by playing the band’s songs throughout the property.

The owners also offered memorabilia including tee-shirts, posters and fridge magnets for guests to take home after they check out and leave.

The District Court in Los Angeles heard the hotel owners had permanently abandoned an application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

‘This case has been settled by mutual agreement of the parties,’ said Thomas Jirgal, a lawyer for the Eagles.

The hotel had been called Hotel California when it opened in 1950 – predating the Eagles’ 1976 track – but later underwent several name changes.

Canadians John and Debbie Stewart bought the property in 2001 and adopted the old name once more.

Its website says ‘many visitors are mesmerized by the ‘coincidences’ between the lyrics of the hit song and the physicality of the hotel and its surroundings’.

Neither the hotel nor its lawyer immediately responded to requests for comment.

‘Hotel California’, the title track from an eponymous Eagles album, won the 1977 Grammy award for record of the year.  

The venue was accused of wrongly encouraging guests to believe the Eagles had given their backing to the guesthouse – for instance, by playing the band’s songs throughout the property