Hotel O'Higgins

Hotel O'Higgins
Hotel chain	Panamericana Hoteles
General information
Address	Plaza Vergara
Town or city	Viña del Mar
Country	Chile
Coordinates	33.02385°S 71.55089°W / -33.02385; -71.55089
Named for	Bernardo O'Higgins
Opened	February 1936
Technical details
Floor count	5
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Vicente Collovich, Fernando Silva, Arnaldo Barison
Other information
Number of rooms	244
Number of suites	12

Facade of the hotel

The Hotel O'Higgins was the oldest hotel in the city of Viña del Mar in Chile's Valparaíso Region, with 270 rooms.^[1] It is located in front of Plaza Latorre [es], in the center of the city. It is owned by the municipality and was managed by Panamericana Hoteles until it closed in 2020.

History

The municipality of Viña began its construction in 1931, with a design by the architects Vicente Collovich, Fernando Silva, and Arnaldo Barison. It was funded by the enactment of Law No. 4283 by President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo in 1928, which also helped to build the Miramar Hotel [es] and the Municipal Casino [es].^[2] It was formally inaugurated in February 1936, and since then its structure has undergone several changes, such as the opening of the main entrance on Plaza Latorre, which replaced the existing one on Arlegui Street [es].^[2]

For several decades, the hotel served as the hostel for artists participating in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival, and until 2006 it was the official lodging for the artists. It was then displaced by new hotels in the city, such as the Sheraton Miramar.^[3] Social meetings, events, and international conventions have also been held at the hotel.^[2]

After the earthquake of 2010, the hotel refitted one of its main lounges to host shows for the Municipal Theater [es] while it was being repaired.^[4][5] That same year saw the beginning of the hotel's renovation, which included the construction of a convention center within the complex.^[6]

The hotel closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It served as a quarantine site,^[7] and in 2022 as a shelter for survivors of nearby forest fires.^[8] The vacant hotel's fittings and furniture were sold at auction in September 2022.^[9] In 2024, it was used as a tetanus vaccination center, for volunteers working on cleanup after the 2024 fires.^[10]

References

1. Campos, Claudia (14 March 2010). "O'Higgins nuevamente deberá esperar" [O'Higgins Must Again Wait]. El Mercurio de Valparaíso (in Spanish). Viña del Mar. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
2. Toro Canessa, Emilio (August 2014). "Espacios turísticos en la Ciudad Jardín, Hotel O'Higgins y Miramar" [Tourist Spaces at the City Garden, Hotel O'Higgins, and Miramar]. Tell Magazine (in Spanish). Chile. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
3. "Festival de Viña cambiaría el tradicional hotel O'Higgins por el Sheraton Miramar" [Viña Festival Will Change From the Traditional Hotel O'Higgins to the Sheraton Miramar]. El Mercurio (in Spanish). Viña del Mar. 29 December 2006. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
4. "A pesar de todo" [Nonetheless]. El Mercurio de Valparaíso (in Spanish). Viña del Mar. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
5. "El espectáculo tuvo su remezón" [The Show Had its Shake]. El Mercurio de Valparaíso (in Spanish). Viña del Mar. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
6. "Concejal de Viña criticó proceso de reconstrucción de hotel O'Higgins" [Viña Councilman Criticizes Reconstruction Process of Hotel O'Higgins]. El Mercurio de Valparaíso (in Spanish). Viña del Mar. 28 December 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
7. Salgado, Daniela (14 April 2020). "Residencia sanitaria en Hotel O'Higgins comienza a operar con 92 camas". Radio Bío-Bío. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
8. https://www.chvnoticias.cl/nacional/incendio-vina-del-mar-hotel-ohiggins-albergue_20221222/
9. "Rematan históricos artículos del Hotel O'Higgins en Viña del Mar". YouTube. 20 September 2022.
10. "Jóvenes llegan al Hotel O'Higgins para vacunarse y ser voluntarios durante la emergencia en Viña del Mar". 6 February 2024.

External links

• Official website