HOTEL OVERVIEW

Located near the University, on the corner of Calle San Francisco with Avenida de Roma, its privileged position not far from the Alcázar and its gardens, and near the Cathedral, between the Palace of San Telmo and the Tobacco Factory, make this hotel but another monument in this neighbourhood of noble and grandiose buildings; its facade and size, of such a characteristic style, fit perfectly in the city and, also, in its history.

It was officially opened on the 28th of April of 1928, and, for this reason, that night a sumptuous banquet was held, hosted by the King Alfonso XIII and the Queen Victoria Eugenia; after dessert, a great ball was held in his honour, to which all Spain would have liked to attend.

Devised by the architect José Espian Muñoz, the Hotel Alfonso XIII was though out and built to be a hotel of 'great luxuries and magnificence'. Its rich interiors, its elegant lamps, which hang from elaborate and luxurious ceilings, the marble and wooden floors, the rugs from the Royal Tapestry Factory, the decorated flagstones, are all still testimonial of the category and perfection attained by very well chosen craftsmen and artists, both local and from other parts of Spain. So, from the very first day of its opening, the Hotel Alfonso XIII was able to find a place comfortably among the best hotels in the world.

Both the exterior architecture and the interior distribution are clearly marked by the influence of Arab art, characteristic of that Spain which was long and profoundly Islamised. Its facade of ochre red brick, its windows of crafted iron, its horseshoe shaped arches, its svelte marble columns, its capitals, minarets, and that superb central patio which is open to the sky -covered by an agile tilt when the bad weather appears- and adorned by a central fountain which fills the atmosphere with soft music and the space with elegant and subtle movement.

Concerning the inside richness and splendour, these extend freely throughout all the salons: the beauty of the flagstones and the ceramics is always surprising, although one may be a frequent visitor, and that of the lamps and the sumptuous stairs as well as many other details.