The first Parador de Turismo had 30 rooms and was inaugurated in 1928 in the Sierra de Gredos (between Madrid and Ávila). Currently
the public hotel chain has more than 10,000 beds in 97 hotels, all of them in Spain except for one franchise operation in Portugal.
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The limited size of the Paradores accommodation (65 rooms on average),
allows personalized treatment and quality in the attention and service
to customers. And the philosophy that the chain is to trying to promote
is that of cultural and nature tourism, with 50% of the hotels located
in monuments that have been declared Assets of Cultural Interest (BIC)
and / or Historic Complex. Paradores seeks to promote quality tourism
that is committed to caring for and enjoying the environment. For this
reason, it encourages the use of clean energy through the consumption
of electricity 100% from renewable sources.
The interior design of each Paradores de Turismo accommodation is a
unique project differentiated from the rest, and it has been developed
according to the characteristics of the building that houses it. Thus, the
chain does not have brand standards in decorative terms, but rather a
commitment to respecting heritage and to the comfort of customers.
Modernity VS. tradition
The last two Paradores that have been inaugurated present antagonistic
styles in their architecture and interior design. These are the Parador
de Costa da Morte, and the Parador de León. The latter stands out for
the historical value of the building, the Hostal de San Marcos, which
has been refurbished in the city of León. With a 5-star category and
51 rooms, it is one of the most emblematic establishments in the hotel
chain.
The architect Mina Bringas, author of the rehabilitation project, describes
its interior design as “a sober interior, with few materials so as not to
compete with the exterior”. They have used “stone and natural woods,
which contrast with dark colours to commemorate the monastic past of
the building.”
For its part, the Parador de Costa da Morte is a building with a new floor
and contemporary architecture, which has been developed on several
levels adapted to the topography of the natural slope, with spectacular
views of the sea. Located in the municipality of Muxía, in La Coruña, all
its roofs are vegetal, except the last one, the upper one, where various
materials such as glass, zinc and bamboo, beech and oak woods have
been mixed up together. The organic shapes, stones and vegetation
have been inspired the interior design, made by the Galician company
Sutega, which uses stone and wood, and respects the neutral and welcoming
tones that are part of the architecture itself. The chromatic range
used throughout the project has as a common thread something
that are characteristic elements of the nature of Galicia: the sea, the
vegetation and the sunsets.
--- AExterior del Parador de Costa da Morte, en Muxía, Galicia.
--- AExterior of the Parador de Costa da Morte, in Muxía, Galicia.