Hotel Otavalo
Otavalo, Ecuador
Vibe
Sunlit courtyards and intimate lounges host Andean music and craft cocktails, creating a calm highland retreat steeped in regional art.
“Restored colonial townhouse”
Light-filled courtyards, hand-carved wooden headboards, and bespoke furnishings crafted by regional Andean artisans.
Preserved 1930s Spanish colonial architecture featuring original brick archways, exposed stone walls, and carved wooden doors.
Ancestral Andean gastronomy at Sarance restaurant alongside rooms stocked with locally roasted Ecuadorian coffee beans.
In central Otavalo, three blocks from the artisan stalls of Plaza de Ponchos.
“The current iteration is faithful to its roots — the building’s best features have been preserved, from its charming brick archways and exposed stone walls…”
Rooms
Exposed brick, hardwood floors, and hand-carved wooden headboards anchor the rooms, while top tiers add private balconies and whirlpool tubs.
Wellness
Dedicated on-site treatment rooms offer restorative bodywork and massage therapies by appointment after a day exploring the highlands.
Backstory
Built in the 1930s as a colonial landmark, the townhouse was revived by Art Hotels Ecuador and reopened in 2018.
Eat & drink
Sarance serves ancestral Andean cuisine downstairs, while the rooftop terrace at Ñukanchikwan Taki pairs cocktails with sweeping volcano views.
The neighborhood
The artisan stalls of Plaza de Ponchos sit three blocks away, with crater lakes and Andean hiking trails just beyond.
The app
This is one hotel. The app has every one we rate, in your pocket, for the whole trip.
Our shorthand
What makes a hotel special, how well they pull it off, and what it feels like outside the door.
How well they pull it off
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
They did this well. You’ll notice.
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Architecture and interiors lead. There’s a creative vision at work.
The guest is conspicuously well cared for. Requests met before they’re made.
Rooted in place. Local character runs through the whole stay.
Energy and scene. Where the city goes out, whether or not it’s sleeping here.
A building with history. The story of the place is part of the stay.
Built around feeling better. Rest, sweat, soak, spa.
A hotel the city grew up with. Same rituals, same regulars.
A world of its own. No reason to leave the property.
Scene — what’s outside the door
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
A place apart: the property is the destination.