The Pleasanton Hotel would not be successful without its terrific staff. We could not open and serve our guests without a caring, professional team. We thought you'd enjoy a short collage featuring some of these folks.

Owners Bill and Vernie Laube

For the past 25 years the Hotel" has been owned and managed by Bill (8/9) and Vernie Laube. "We hope to present something that will appeal to you, be it the exciting Contemporary American cooking of Executive Chef Chris Smith, unique Winemakers Dinners, our seasonal mid-week Patio music featuring great Blues Bands, weekend dance bands, or a banquet in one of our beautiful Victorian Rooms or catered off-site,  planned with the assistance of our Catering department. Come join us and see why the Pleasanton Hotel will always be a great place to experience.

Executive Chef Christopher Smith

Chris's most recent culinary experience included three years in Las Vegas where he was a Chef Instructor at the famous Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School.  His previous eight years of experiences included positions at the Luxor Hotel and Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Emilio's Trattoria in Santa Barbara,  Whole Foods in San Ramon and Wente's Restaurant in Livermore. Chris is also a graduate of the California Culinary Academy.  Chris was promoted by us from Sous Chef to Executive Chef  effective December 25, 2007.

The History of the Pleasanton Hotel  The Pleasanton Hotel, formerly the Farmer's Hotel was built by one of  Pleasanton’s early settlers, John Kottinger, in approximately 1864. After following the cry of gold to the new land “California” and settling in the Pleasanton area, Kottinger named the city after General Alfred Pleasonton of  Civil War fame. Educated in the law, he was appointed county judge.

During those mid-1800’s Pleasanton became known as the “most desperate town in the West” and was a haven for many desperados. It seemed the ranchers herded their cattle to the gold country for gold dust, and the bandits such as notorious Joaquin Murrieta would relieve them of their profits on their return trip.

To keep his prisoners in tow, Kottinger converted his own barn into a jail which was located a block from the Pleasanton Hotel on Ray Street. To prevent prisoner escapes after they were tried, he even built tunnels from the Court House to the jail, and later a tunnel to the then Farmer’s ( now Pleasanton) Hotel….possibly used to maintain a discreet social life at the local saloon.

The Pleasanton Hotel, after it burned to the ground on March 18, 1898, and again suffered a minor fire in 1915, has been lovingly cared for over the years, and today invites all visitors to bustling Pleasanton to again join us for fine dining, drinks and dancing in a historic Victorian setting.

Bill and Vernie Laube purchased the Pleasanton Hotel restaurant business in April 1983, this year completing their 25th year of successful operation of Pleasanton’s wonderful, historic hotel….the only hotel in town without overnight accommodations.