Nestled in the historic Santa Cruz district of Seville, Spain, next to the Reales Alcázares and the Cathedral of the Andalusian capital, the Hotel Alfonso XIII is one of the most luxurious hotels in Europe. It was commissioned by the eponymous king to offer the best hospitality to the international dignitaries who were to visit the city during the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. A competition was held for its design and construction, which was won by the Sevillian architect José Espiau y Muñoz, based on a preliminary design by Francisco Urcola Lazcanotegui.
Although Espiau y Muñoz adopted the modernist style in his first works, he soon abandoned it to devote himself entirely to the regionalist style, of which the Hotel Alfonso XIII itself is one of the most conspicuous examples. The building’s architecture is recreated with Moorish details and other indigenous Andalusian elements. The decoration of the hotel, which has been carefully designed to offer the utmost luxury to its guests, reflects the purest Sevillian style, with its lobbies and the typical interior courtyard. Some of the elements of the exquisite decoration and the sumptuous interior design of the 126 rooms and the 22 suites, return echoes of the Castilian, Moorish and Andalusian style.
The Hotel Alfonso XIII was built between 1916 and 1928. It was officially inaugurated on 28th April 1928 with a banquet presided over by King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia, at the same time as the wedding of the Infanta Isabella Alfonsa and Count Juan Zamoyski. The hotel changed its name to Hotel Andalucía Palace after the king left the country following the municipal elections of 12th April 1931, which resulted in the victory of Republican candidates in most Spanish cities, when the Second Republic was proclaimed. However, after the Civil War (1936-1939) the hotel recovered its original name, which it retains to this day.
In 1998 it received the status of an Asset of Cultural Interest. Although it is publicly owned, its management was transferred in 2009, under a 35-year concession contract, to the Starwood chain. However, after Starwood became the property of the Marriott company, it is Marriott that currently runs the hotel under The Luxury Collection. The Hotel Alfonso XIII was completely refurbished in 2011 and reopened on 13th March 2012.
In 1962, some scenes from the film Lawrence of Arabia were filmed in the hotel. In addition, throughout its history, and coinciding with major celebrations, events and exhibitions, the Hotel Alfonso XIII has counted among its guests numerous heads of state, politicians, artists and celebrities. Some of them are: the Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles and Diana, Gorbachev, Fidel Castro, Gerard Ford, Ernest Hemingway, Evita Perón, Orson Welles, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Sofia Loren, Ava Gardner, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Shakira, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Cameron Díaz, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart and Sharon Stone.
Sources: Marriott, Revista Escaparate, La Vanguardia, Wikipedia. Images: Hotel Alfonso XIII, The Luxury Collection, Marriott.
