After years of desolate disrepair, they\'ll be living it up at the Hotel California again.
But it took a posse of Calgarians and city ex-pats to bring back to life the Mexican hotel that legend suggests inspired the hit Eagles song of the same name.
Twenty-seven years after the tale of an ethereal desert oasis hit the charts, the hotel linked by urban legend to the southern California country-rock band celebrates its grand opening this weekend.
Along with the obligatory margaritas, pink champagne on ice will be flowing, promised ex-Calgarian John Stewart.
Stewart, along with prominent city restaurateur Witold Twardowski, purchased the run-down property a year ago and have even lured away ace Calgary chef Danny Lamote of Teatro fame.
As they\'ve poured sweat, equity and $500,000 US into its restoration, they\'ve been involuntarily immersed in Eagles rumour and lore.
\"We didn\'t buy it for that reason -- it was an interesting sideline,\" says Stewart, standing in the hotel\'s refurbished lobby.
\"We didn\'t realize how powerful it was -- it has a draw, creates curiosity.\"
Situated in the sleepy, artistic town of Todos Santos on Mexico\'s Baja Peninsula, the reborn business has become a magnet for visitors who largely hail from the tourist mecca of Cabo San Lucas, an hour\'s drive to the south.
LIKE STRAWBERRY FIELDS
When they tire of the bustling, commercialized atmosphere of Cabo or nearby La Paz, it\'s Todos Santos they seek out for a taste of the \"real Mexico,\" says Stewart.
And once in the town of 5,000 souls, the premier attraction is the Hotel California, which happily endures the obligatory round of photo-ops by those basking in the glow of this pop culture urban legend.
\"It\'s a bit like Strawberry Fields or Penny Lane,\" says Stewart\'s wife, Debbie.
Rumour has it that Eagles member Don Henley drifted into town during the early 1970s, holing up in a then-fleabag Hotel California that charged $2.50 US a night.
Memories of that visit filtered down into the 1976 hit song, insist some of the locals.
\"The locals have said it\'s true, but it\'s very hard to tell -- it\'s true if you want it to be,\" he says.
Fans and believers in the story aren\'t concerned the image on the album\'s cover is actually of a building in Hollywood.
\"That\'s certainly not on a dark desert highway with a mission bell, both of which we have,\" says Stewart, noting an old, bell-equipped adobe Roman Catholic mission adjoins his hotel.
Nor does it discourage Stewart that Henley has emphatically denied in writing any connections between the band and the Todos Santos hotel.
The whole association was conjured by a previous owner to breathe life into a moribund tourist business, goes the accusation.
It\'s worth noting Hotel Californias have sprung up in Berlin and Paris.
\"That doesn\'t matter ... it\'s something that has its own life and many, many people want to believe it,\" says Stewart.
But aside from a few modest nods to the legend, Stewart says he and his partners have decided not to overly milk the link.
PINK CHAMPAGNE ON ICE
Aside from the pink champagne on ice, visitors won\'t notice any Eagles memorabilia or references to the hotel\'s unofficial anthem, he insists.
\"We\'ll only play the song by request,\" he adds. \"We don\'t play it up -- I suppose we could, but it\'s just not our schtick.\"
But he does admit the scene on last New Year\'s Eve -- with 350 revelers in the hotel\'s bar fueled by rock \'n\' roll nostalgia and a little tequila sunrise -- was electric.
\"At midnight, they played the song and things reached a fever pitch,\" he fondly recalls.
In kinship with the song\'s haunting, ambience and the \"checkout anytime you like but you can never leave\" lyric, the hotel is reputedly haunted, says its co-owner.
\"A woman supposedly committed suicide here,\" is all Stewart will say.
Pop culture notoriety is fine, but the real desire is to provide first-class lodging and hospitality, says Stewart.
Mixing the funky and traditional west coast Mexican to the colonial-style structure to create \"a beautiful place where people will really be staying at,\" is the main mission, he says.
Publicity of Canadian ownership has already attracted many western Canadians to the peaceful precinct.
As for the 2,000 people invited for this weekend\'s baptismal blowout, it suddenly occurs to the intrepid innkeeper not a single member of the superstar country rock band was among them.
But no doubt, their presence will be felt as will the symbolism of lyrics from another era:
\"And still those voices are calling from far away...\"
ON A DARK DESERT HIGHWAY ...
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway; I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself this could be heaven or this could be hell
Then she lit up a candle, and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say
Welcome to the Hotel California.
Such a lovely place, such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (any time of year) you can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
So I called up the captain; \"Please bring me my wine.\"
We haven\'t had that spirit here since nineteen sixty-nine
And still those voices are calling from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night, just to hear them say
Welcome to the Hotel California.
Such a lovely place, such a lovely face
They livin\' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise) bring your alibis
Mirrors on the ceiling, the pink champagne on ice
And she said we are all just prisoners here, of our own device
And in the master\'s chambers, they gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can\'t kill the beast
Last thing I remember, I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
Relax, said the nightman, we are programmed to receive
You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave
