Boutique Chic

In a city with such huge heritage from colonial and republican times, it’s no surprise to find that Quito has its fair share of old-style hotels, replete with antiques, art and twirly-whirly finishings. If you were to have criticized the city’s hotel offer for anything, you might have said it lacked a strong injection of hip: that mix of cool, contemporary and cutting-edge which defines modern hotels from Amsterdam to San Francisco to Sydney. Well, the hip doctor has called on Ecuador’s capital. In the last months, two new hotels have opened, set to shoot Quito firmly up the hipometer of cool. Located in the modern quarters of the city, Nü house and Le Parc are pushing the envelope of Quito’s accommodation offer. Bring on the Starck…

The capital’s Mariscal district has been undergoing a revival in the last years. The district is where you’ll find the greatest concentration of tourist facilities in the city. From tour operators to internet cafés to hotels, you’ll find it all here. The Mariscal has become an ever-stronger magnet for young Quiteños and the result has been dramatic: dozens of restaurants, bars and clubs have opened their doors.

The nucleus of this phenomenon has been the Plaza Quinde, also known as Plaza Foch – since it lies at the crossroads of Calle Mariscal Foch and Calle Reina Victoria. This Municipality-led regeneration has been a roaring success. It was only a matter of time until some entrepreneurs gave the square a hotel all of its own.

Step up Nü house. Chucking out the chintz and faux-baroque, Nü house is a breath of fresh air in the capital. It boasts 57 rooms in all, divided into 32 simple-bed rooms, 16 twin-bed, four triples as well as five stunning suites on the top floor. The concept is fresh and exciting. The hotel�s décor mixes wood panelling and dark-stone flags, stylish lighting and smart finishing. The rooms all come with 32� LCD TVs, funky mini-bars and white leather-clad desks and poofs.

The hotel is owned by the same company which runs the ground floor restaurant ‘Q’ which has become a firm favourite in the Plaza Quinde, as well as the recently-inaugurated ‘Azuca’ restaurant, ‘The Loft’ nightclub and a soon-to-be-opened swanky bakery across the road. It all adds up to an irresistible package in the heart of Quito’s coolest quarter.

Further to the north of the Mariscal lies Quito’s answer to Central Park: La Carolina. It’s a great green space in the midst of the bustle of the city. It’s home to the capital’s financial district, as well as its plushest shopping mall, Quicentro, and the national football stadium, Estadio Atahualpa. To add to the existing selection of hotels, which include the Sheraton Four Points and the Dann Carlton, the district hosts the brand new Le Parc Hotel. This one is for the designer groupies out there.

Le Parc is a symphony to cool, contemporary chic from its ground floor lobby – complete with water moat feature and 5-feet-long horizontal gas fireplace – to the tip of its stunning rooftop terrace-bar. It is truly boutique with a mere 30 rooms, all suites, set over 12 floors – three on each floor. From the moment you walk in to the lobby and spy the bar and the restaurant beyond, you know you’ve arrived in designer heaven.

The rooms come with all the amenities the modern traveller expects: flatscreen TVs with DVD players, CD alarm-clocks, ironing boards and irons, bathrobes and slippers, smoke detectors, sprinkler systems and security. The interiors, meanwhile, have  plenty of great touches: some rooms have zebra print coffee tables, others stylish stand-alone bathtubs in front of the windows, minimalist finishings, great lighting and lampshades, coffee-table books for browsing and lap-of-luxury mattresses. There’s even a ‘pillow menu’ to make sure you get the one that’s right for you.

Le Parc’s restaurant is called Blu. It’s the sister to the successful and established branch in Guayaquil. Peruvian chef Rafael Osterlicht serves imaginative and very reasonably-priced fusion dishes amid the eye-catching surroundings. There’s also a compact spa, sauna, gym and business centre floor. 

Two new hotels: proving that Quito isn’t all colonial, it’s cool too.

Contact Details:

Le Parc Hotel
Avenida República de El Salvador N34-349 e Irlanda, Quito.
Tel: (+593 2) 227 6800
Fax: (+593 2) 227 7870
www.leparc.com.ec
Prices for suites: $220 +22% tax

Nü house
Foch E6-12 y Reina Victoria, Quito.
Tel (+593 2) 255 7845
www.nuhousehotels.com