Casa Gangotena

The Plaza San Francisco in Quito is one of the largest squares in colonial South America, and the monastery that gives it its name has stood on the west side since the sixteenth century. On the south side, facing the monastery across the cobbles, stands Casa Gangotena, Quito, a three-storey mansion of the 1920s with a balcony that looks straight at the church front and the volcano Pichincha behind it. The house opened in October 2011 as a luxury hotel in Quito's old town, with 31 rooms.

History

A house has stood on the site since the colonial period, and the Gangotena family, one of the oldest in Quito, lived in the one that burned down in 1914. They rebuilt it in the 1920s to the designs of the Italian architects Antonino Russo and Francisco Durini, who were responsible for several of the republican buildings of the capital, and the result was a mansion in a European eclectic style with marble floors, moulded ceilings and a grand staircase. The family kept it through most of the twentieth century. Metropolitan Touring, the Ecuadorian company that pioneered Galápagos cruising, bought the house and restored it over several years, opening it as a hotel in 2011. It is a member of Relais & Châteaux and shares an owner with Mashpi Lodge in the cloud forest.

Architecture and design

The restoration kept the structure and the decorative scheme of the 1920s: the marble floors, the painted ceilings, the wrought iron and the wooden panelling, with a glass roof over the central courtyard that now holds the lounge. Interiors mix the original pieces with Art Deco-inspired furniture and Ecuadorian textiles. The third floor has a terrace with views over the plaza, the monastery and the roofs of the old town, which guests use for drinks at sunset. A walled garden at the back of the house is a quiet contrast to the square.

Rooms and suites

The 31 rooms are spread over three floors. Those on the plaza side have windows or balconies onto the square and the church; others look to the garden or the courtyard. Rooms have high ceilings, wooden floors, and bathrooms with marble; the suites add a sitting room and, in the largest, a balcony over the plaza. Afternoon tea with Ecuadorian pastries is served in the lounge and included for guests.

Dining

The restaurant on the ground floor serves what the hotel calls cocina mestiza, a blend of Spanish, Andean and coastal Ecuadorian cooking built on local produce, with a wine list that includes Ecuadorian bottles. The bar in the lounge mixes drinks with Ecuadorian spirits. Breakfast is served in the restaurant and on the courtyard.

Wellness

There is no spa or pool. The hotel offers in-room massages and has a small fitness room, and the garden and terrace serve as places to rest between walks through the old town, which at 2,850 metres asks for a slow first day.

Weddings and events

Casa Gangotena hosts small weddings and private dinners, using the garden for ceremonies and receptions, the restaurant for dinners, and the terrace for cocktails over the plaza. It has a meeting room for small corporate groups. Larger weddings in the old town often use the house as the base for the families with the ceremony in the San Francisco church across the square.

Location

The hotel is on the Plaza San Francisco in the centro histórico, which UNESCO listed in 1978. The Plaza Grande, the cathedral and the Compañía church are about five minutes on foot, La Ronda street about ten. Mariscal Sucre International Airport, outside the city at Tababela, is about forty-five minutes to an hour by car. The old town is best walked by day; the hotel arranges cars for the evening.