Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires

The Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires is a five-star hotel in the Retiro district, just steps from the Calle Florida shopping area and overlooking the Plaza San Martín.

Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires
Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires
General information
LocationBuenos Aires, Argentina
AddressFlorida 1005
Buenos Aires, C1005AAU Argentina
OpeningJuly 15, 1909
Design and construction
Architect(s)Alfred Zucker
Website
www.plazahotelba.com
Partial view of the lobby

Overview

The Plaza was developed by local landowner and banker Ernesto Tornquist. Facing San Martín Square, the nine-story hotel was designed by German born architect Alfred Zucker and built at the northern end of Florida Street. It was inaugurated as the Plaza Hotel on July 15, 1909, with the presence of President José Figueroa Alcorta. Tornquist, who died in 1908, did not live to see his hotel in operation.[1]

Touted at the time as the finest hotel in South America, it was also its most modern. The original 160 rooms and 16 suites had central heating, telephones, and elevator service. The hotel was wholly furnished by the prestigious London houses of Thompson & Company and Waring & Gillow. Marble sculptures by Gustav Eberlein of Germany and ceiling frescoes by Julio Vila y Prades of Spain added to its decor. Two new wings were added between 1942 and 1948, and additional work completed in 1977 brought the number of rooms to nearly 400.[1] The Philippine Embassy in Buenos Aires initially based itself out of the hotel when it opened in 1949.

The hotel was a part of the Inter-Continental Hotels chain from 1981 to 1982 and was briefly renamed the Plaza Inter-Continental.[2] The Washington, DC-based Marriott Hotels Group assumed management of the hotel in 1994 for a period of 30 years while the property was still controlled by Tornquist's descendants. It was renamed the Marriott Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires. Following a US$10 million refurbishment, it was awarded a five-star rating.[3]

The hotel today maintains 270 rooms and 48 suites. It received a facelift on the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 2009, celebrated with tours for local residents and a book about its history.[4]

The hotel was sold in 2013 and returned to its historic name, the Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires.[5]

The hotel closed April 29, 2017 for renovations directed by architect and interior designer Martín Zanotti.[6] It is scheduled to reopen in 2023.[7]

Famous guests

References
  1. Previaje: El Marriott Plaza Hotel de Buenos Aires (in Spanish)
  2. Turkel, Stanley (2009). Great American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry. ISBN 9781449007522.
  3. Marriott Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires
  4. "Marriott Hotels: Buenos Aires Plaza". Archived from the original on 2013-05-29. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  5. "Los dueños del Alvear compran el Hotel Plaza por $ 280 millones". Archived from the original on 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  6. "Plaza Hotel. Martín Zanotti, el interiorista al frente de la renovación: "La austeridad es el nuevo lujo"". 21 December 2022.
  7. "Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires - Buenos Aires | Hotel WebSite". www.plazahotelbuenosaires.website. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
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