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Jack Tar Hotels was a major hotel chain in the United States until 1997, when they were sold to Allegro. The sale included ownership of a resort and casino in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and assume two leases for resorts in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Cancun, Mexico. Allegro also acquired management contracts for two resorts in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica, and a marketing and franchise agreement for a St. Kitts resort."
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San Francisco, California
A 400-room Jack Tar Hotel in San Francisco occupied a full city block at the intersection of Geary Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue. When built in 1960 it was considered one of the most luxurious hotels in the city, although it was criticized by Herb Caen and others for its modern architecture, which they considered ugly. Part of the movie The Conversation takes place there. In 1973, the jury in the trial of Ruchell Magee was sequestered at the Jack Tar Hotel. In 1982, after major renovations, it became the Cathedral Hill Hotel. A major fire occurred in December 1983, causing the hotel to rebuild again. The hotel finally closed on October 30, 2009 and was demolished in November 2013 to make way for an expansion of California Pacific Medical Center.
Durham, North Carolina
The former Jack Tar Motor Lodge in Durham, North Carolina is being renovated and will reopen as the first property in the Dream Hotel Group's new Unscripted Hotels brand. The renovated hotel will have 74 rooms, a pool deck on the third floor, and restaurants on the ground floor. It is expected to open by May 2017.
Galveston, Texas
There was a 225-room Jack Tar Hotel in Galveston, Texas.
Orange, Texas
There was a Jack Tar Hotel in Orange, Texas on the corner of N 5th Street and W Division Ave in downtown. The popular hotel, built in the 1950s, featured a barbershop, ballroom, stores and a restaurant famous for its prime rib. Behind the building was a garden terrace area with shaded tables and a swimming pool. The Orange location was also base of operations for water events such as the Aqua Demons and Debs ski shows in the 1950s. The hotel eventually became home to a number of retirement centers, the last of which closed in 2006. The building was demolished in 2011.
Lansing, Michigan
Originally opened in 1926 as the Hotel Olds, built and operated by the Lansing Community Hotel Corporation which included R.E. Olds, the Jack Tar hotel chain purchased the property at 111 South Capitol Avenue in 1960 and renamed it "Jack Tar Lansing." In 1970, the hotel was renamed the Olds Plaza following a sale to an Alma, Michigan oil businessman and subsequent renovation. In 1974, however, a different Alma-based layer and entrepreneur purchased the property and renamed it again to The Plaza Hotel. Some of the hotel was converted to offices and meeting space was reduced. It became part of the TravelLodge chain in 1983 when the number of hotel rooms was at 100, down from 400 at its peak. The now-debt-ridden hotel was foreclosed on in 1985, long-term residents were evicted and the hotel closed. The building was sold to the State of Michigan in 1988, completely gutted and renovated by Hobbs & Black Associates into state offices as the Romney Building and now houses the Office of the Governor and other state offices.