Plaza Grande Hotel - Quito,Ecuador
A Luxury Hotel in the Heart of the Historic Old Town District
May 17, 2007
The Plaza Grande Hotel (593-2-251-0777) sits on the famous corner of García Moreno and Chile in the Historic Old Town District of Quito. Overlooking the square, the hotel offers modern-day luxury with colonial nostalgia to presidents, diplomats, millionaires and celebrities visiting this bustling capital city, elected a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978.
Combining the Colonial and Contemporary
Successfully combining the colonial with the contemporary, this luxurious hotel is the place for elite to gather. The building, painted a creamy yellow with white finish, stands on the corner overlooking the central plaza, where old-timers meet to discuss politics and two distinguished guards stand sentry at the entrance of the Presidential Palace. Its quaint balconies, arched windows and colorful façade (reminiscent of many colonial structures in the district) lend old-world charm to this neoclassical and eclectic structure.
Inside the hotel, enormous bouquets of Ecuadorian flowers – bromeliad and canna flowers, roses, carnations – decorate every surface. Candelabras adorn the walls, evoking memories of the early 1900s. Chandeliers hang grandiosely from the ceilings. Guests can request spa services, which feature baths based on ancient Inca rituals and beliefs. They may also enjoy a night on the town touring Quito’s colorfully lit Historic District in a romantic horse and buggy ride. Whatever the reason for being in Quito, this hotel offers the best that Quito’s colonial past and modern present can give.
Services and Features
The five-star hotel boasts fifteen suites, three restaurants, a spa, a banquet hall, carriages for night tours, a wine cellar and wedding packages. Every detail in this hotel is meticulous and intentional, from the heated marble floors in the bathrooms to the scent of Ecuadorian roses piped into the rooms, from the selection of international newspapers to antiallergenic linens on the beds and noise reducing windows. All suites contain a Jacuzzi, wireless internet, safety boxes, minibars, hair dryers, air conditioning and temperature control, and Cable TV.
The Presidential Suite
As the most luxurious suite, it has a small living room, a meeting room for up to 12 occupants, authentic artwork of the renowned Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín, a kitchen and dining room, three balconies, and two telephone lines, among other services. Overlooking the main square – the Cathedral, Presidential Palace, and Panecillo in the distance – guests in this suite can enjoy watching Quiteños go about their daily lives.
Restaurants
On the first floor, guests can eat in the Restaurant Belle Epoque, which features international gourmet cuisine. The champagne and Cigar-Cognac bar graces the fourth floor, and on the main floor visitors wishing to sample traditional Ecuadorian cuisine can have over 100 dishes prepared by top chefs in the Café Plaza Grande, an English-style café nostalgic of the original Majestic Hotel. The Claustro Cava de Vinos, an underground wine cellar, not only has the best vintages of wine, but also live music and dances, such as flamenco and salsa.
History
The original house belonged to Juan Díaz de Hidalgo, one of the city’s founders in the sixteenth century. With two interior patios, it was an impressive testament of its owner’s wealth. Over four hundred years later, in 1943, it opened as the Majestic Hotel, with 40 rooms. The presidential suite had a bathroom and even a telephone – both luxuries back then. The Majestic functioned as Quito’s principal luxury hotel until 1970, when it closed its doors. The building was then sold to a financial institution which used it as a bank. In 2003 the Municipality of Quito obtained the property, with the idea to restore it to its original function. A few years later it was bought by HOV (Hotelera Quito), which began the remodeling work. The inauguration of the hotel has restored the Historic District, lending it the prestige it once had many years ago.
Costs
The cost of a room ranges from $500 per night for a Royal Suite to $2000 for the Presidential Suite. A 22% service and sales taxes must be added to these prices.
