Since the mid-nineteenth century San Antonio has amassed a varied collection of hotels, by the early 1960s the list included: the St. Anthony – opened in 1909, The Menger Hotel – opened in 1859, the Gunter Hotel – opened in 1909, the Fairmount Hotel – opened in 1906 and the Crockett Hotel – opened at the turn of the century.

However, to accommodate the 7.2 million visitors projected to attend HemisFair ’68 several more hotels would be required. By the summer 1967 three new major hotels were in various stages of completion, two located just off the fair grounds and a third located within a few minutes walking distance. These three would open just prior to HemisFair’s opening day as Hilton’s “Palacio Del Rio”, “La Quinta Motor Inn” and “La Posada Motor Hotel”.