Granted, the thread is 12 years ago, but the Hotel California is actually the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows property in Beverly Hills, CA. All one has to do is take a look at the Eagles album cover and one will see the hotel on the cover. There is no doubt that this is the hotel. Again, go to the BH hotel and take a copy of the record with you and you will see.
Well, there is a hotel in Santa Barbara called Hotel California, and it looks as if it might predate the song. I agree that it’s unlikely that the Eagles even knew about it though. Cecil mentioned it as a possibility, but not one he really considered likely. IIRC, he argued it was a metaphor for rehab, and that’s the most plausible explanation to me.
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board, fooloof! We hope you stick around and enjoy yourself. 
It’s customary here to provide a link to the article by Uncle Cecil to which you are referring, so everyone is on the same page with you. This can be done simply by copying the url from your browser’s pointer and pasting it into the post, like this: In the song “Hotel California,” what does “colitas” mean? - The Straight Dope
I presume you are referring to the column: In the song “Hotel California,” what does “colitas” mean?. It’s not surprising that they shot a real hotel for the cover art, but that doesn’t mean that that’s the hotel they are singing about in the song.
Again, stick around, put your feet up, lean back, and enjoy.
Such a lovely place. 
Using this logic, Tataooine is actually located in Death Valley.
You mean Tunisia, Czarcasm.
Powers &8^]
Addiction, not rehab. Rehab is not using. The song is about using.
There’s a strong rumor that Don Henley went to rehab at Camarillo State Hospital which is just off the coast and has the nickname of “Hotel California”. I used to work there when it was a mental hospital as a pool lifeguard.
The place is now Cal State University Channel Islands.
my post from an earlier thread
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10140130&postcount=36
Damn, you stole my answer! 
(Former Camarillo resident … the city, not the hospital)
And how exactly did that happen? How does a state mental hospital become a state university for some islands when it isn’t even on on of the islands, where almost nobody lives?
Anyway, there used to be a huge neon sign that for some reason was left leaning against a hillside next to Riverside Drive in Los Angeles, not far from Griffith Park. It said, “Hotel California.” So it could easily have been some other hotel in the area, but just because the album cover uses a picture of the BH hotel doesn’t mean that was it.
The Hotel California in Todos Santos, Baja California, Mexico, serves kick ass shrimp tacos. I wish I was still smoking pot whenever I eat there…
I go to http://maps.google.com and type Hotel California.
Huh.
Also found:
Camarillo State Hospital
1878 S Lewis Rd, Camarillo, CA - (805) 484-3661
And for the record, the Beverly Hills Hotel:
9641 Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA - (310) 276-2251
I did a Google Maps Street View of the Beverly Hills Hotel and it’s hard to say from that - there’s too many trees in the way from where the van takes the picture 