Hotel News

EcuadorianUpgrade
Quito’s first boutique hotel gets a new home.
The beloved bohemian hotel, Café
Cultura—known for whimsical
frescoes, blazing hearths, and a
cozy, lived-in feel—has traded its
postcolonial villa for a princely
mansion in the same New Town
district of Quito, Ecuador. Built in
1937, the mansion’s former
incarnation was as the elite Club
Pichincha where the crème de la
crème of society would gather. A
striking mixture of Art Deco details
and Republican–style architecture,
the structure won Quito’s most
prestigious architectural award
in 1937.
“The new house was an
opportunity we couldn’t resist,” says
owner László Károlyi. “The social
areas and gardens are unmatched.”
Before the hotel moved in,
Károlyi had local craftsmen spend a
year restoring every detail, from the
elaborate wood paneling to the
The library of the new Café Cultura
intricate stone carvings around the
archways. Suites will be decked out
with antique freestanding bathtubs,
vintage furniture and, in some,
balconies. Seven suites will be ready
in February, with an eventual total
of 27, including a grand terrace
suite with views for miles.
Despite its fancier digs, we predict
Café Cultura’s quirky atmosphere
will carry over, and it’ll continue to
be the kind of place where locals
meeting for a drink brush shoulders
with nonprofit types and celebrities,
or where an Argentine artist might
ask to stay for a month or two in
exchange for paintings and is
welcomed with open arms. From
$150/night; cafecultura.com
–Victoria De Silverio

FLIGHT Watch falL 2009

New offerings from U.S. and foreign carriers
ROUTE AIRLINE STARTS
AMENITY WATCH

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In the competitive world of luxury travel,
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12 Smart Luxury 2009 ShermansTravel.com