The Old Town of Bilbao recovers the hotel pull of the 19th century
The origin of Bilbao is located in the same Old Town nothing more and nothing less than 722 years ago; its commercial and exporting character made the town a different city, with connections with England and the rest of the world. This commercial and service profile is reflected to the 19th century with the opening of important hotels in the heart of the city such as the Torrentegi, located in the Surne building, in the vicinity of El Arenal in Bilbao. “The Ensanche was not yet developed and the heart of Bilbao moved in the Casco Viejo”; bill Xabier Ochandiano. That is why the main and most important accommodations in the city were located in buildings in that area of the town. Nowadays, with the opening of the Bilder Boutique Hotel only In the Casco Viejo there are, in addition to hostels and tourist apartments, five hotelsYes Next year, one more will have to be added to the offer on Correo street. This area of Bilbao recovers the hotel pull of yesteryear. “El Casco Viejo continues to be a reference space in the city, and comes to complement the city’s offer both to those who visit us internationally and to those from the closest environment”, highlights the Bilbao mayor.
The hotel history of the heart of the town is extensive, so much so that the historians of the time collect in publications that the most modern, comfortable and best located hotel in bilbao I was in the building at number 6 in El Arenal, the Torróntegi hotel. That building was renovated in 1928 to house the accommodation that had already been in the building under the clock in Plaza Nueva for decades. It had five floors and 75 rooms, all with bathroom, telephone and central heating. In the 1920s and 1930s, it became famous for the banquets and parties held on the terrace, with views of San Nicolás and El Arenal. The hotel was advertised as a comfortable stay for 100 pesetas and as a temple of Biscayan gastronomy. “The Torrontegi must be the best hotel in the city”bill the innkeeper boni garciabut, according to account, not the only one. “Where the NYX is now, there was the Hotel Inglaterra”, remember. Another high-level accommodation that was renamed El Almirante and that in its new phase belonged to the Deprit family of glassmakers of Belgian origin, owners of the Vidriera de Lamiaco company founded in 1892. It was described in the press of the time as the “Bilbao center for international lodging” and the setting for some of the most outstanding social events of the early years of the 20th century. Alejandro de la Sota recounted how the French dressmaker Madame Dubois established her headquarters in this hotel periodically to show the ladies of Bilbao the latest fashion creations imported from Paris. Among his clientele were some illustrious political leaders such as Melquíades Álvarez or Manuel Azaña, who on August 1, 1925, during his visit to Bilbao, wrote two letters with a member of this hotel to his brother-in-law, Cipriano Rivas Cherif . In 1977 the hotel underwent a renovation to fit out offices for the Caja Rural Provincial de Vizcaya Credit Cooperative.