Situated in a newly-restored historic mansion overlooking Plaza San Francisco, the three-story Casa Gangotena harbours 31 rooms, a showcase of eye-catching style, contemporary design, antiques, fine furnishings, modern technologies and quintessential comforts. Beautifully- and eclectically-appointed, the hotel invites its guests to explore and to relax, whether in the dining room, glassed-in patio, garden redolent with the perfume of native flowers, wood-panelled library, or else atop its panoramic third-floor terrace.
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Situated in a newly-restored historic mansion overlooking Plaza San Francisco, the three-story Casa Gangotena harbours 31 rooms, a showcase of eye-catching style, contemporary design, antiques, fine furnishings, modern technologies and quintessential comforts. Beautifully- and eclectically-appointed, the hotel invites its guests to explore and to relax, whether in the dining room, glassed-in patio, garden redolent with the perfume of native flowers, wood-panelled library, or else atop its panoramic third-floor terrace.
Beyond its doors, the world heritage wonders of Quito, as well the vastly-different and diverse worlds of Ecuador itself, await. Sophisticated and eclectic, historic yet contemporary, at Casa Gangotena style, passion and service blend seamlessly and delightfully.
Casa Gangotena History Casa Gangotena occupies a pivotal place in Quito’s historic heart, at the corner of Plaza San Francisco. Its history stretches back to the time of the Incas. According to the early Spanish chroniclers, in the 15th century the square featured Inca temples, one of them on the site of the present house.
As soon as the Spanish arrived in the Incas’ northern capital in 1534, the religious orders soon set about converting the hearts and minds of the local population. Thus the Franciscan order occupied the whole western hillside of the vast square, which had for centuries been used as a giant Indian open-air market, or “Tianguez”, for traders from every region.
Due to the importance of the Plaza San Francisco in the following centuries, various wealthy families built their homes around it. This mansion on the hotel’s present site later became the residence of several Republican-era presidents. But in 1914, disaster struck and the house suffered a calamitous fire.
It was completely rebuilt in 1926 by its owners, the Gangotenas, one of the capital’s leading families, whose members included important industrialists, politicians, landowners, academics and even poets. In 1978 Quito was declared the first UNESCO World Heritage Site city, considered the largest and best preserved historic centre in the Americas, and a few years later, Casa Gangotena was included in the city’s cultural heritage inventory.
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