Llao Llao Hotel

Llao Llao
Setting of the Llao Llao hotel
Interactive map of the Llao Llao area
General information
LocationBariloche, Argentina
Coordinates41°3′27.72″S 71°31′52.02″W / 41.0577000°S 71.5311167°W / -41.0577000; -71.5311167
Opening1940
ManagementLlao Llao Resorts S.A.
Technical details
Floor count5
Design and construction
DeveloperAlejandro Bustillo
Other information
Number of rooms205
Number of suites32
Number of restaurants4
Website
www.llaollao.com

The Llao Llao Hotel is located in the tourist resort of San Carlos de Bariloche within the Río Negro, Argentina. The hotel is situated in the foothills of the Andes on a hill between the Moreno Lake and Nahuel Huapi lakes.

The hotel is owned equally by the Sutton Dabbah Group and the IRSA Group.[1]

Its name comes from a fungus that is very common in the region, the llao llao, which grows attached to ñire and coihue trees.[2]

History

The original hotel, designed by Alejandro Bustillo,[3] was made almost entirely of wood and furnished by Jean-Michel Frank and Casa Comte,[4] was destroyed by fire soon after its completion in 1939. The hotel reopened on December 15, 1940.[5]

A year later Bustillo built a new hotel out of reinforced concrete and stone, with the assistance of the German landscaping architect Hermann Botrich. It closed in 1976 due to lack of funds for maintenance. While it was closed, the hotel was exposed to robbery, vandalism and overall neglect.[5]

It was renovated and reopened in 1993 after ownership was transferred to CEI Citicorp Holdings in compensation for Argentina government bonds.[6] In the late 1990s, IRSA, an Argentine company led by Eduardo Elsztain, bought the hotel from CEI Citicorp Holdings. However, in 2000, IRSA sold 50 percent of the equity in the hotel to the Sutton Group, thus forming the joint venture known as Llao-Llao Resorts, where the Sutton Group manages the hotel.[7]

In 1999 the hotel became a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, and has won many important prizes since its re-opening, including "The Best Hotel and Resort in the Argentine Hinterland" in 1999.[8]

Activities

The hotel is the site of the annual classical music festival, Semana Musical Llao Llao.[9]

Since 2012, the hotel has become the venue for the Llao Llao Forum, which is held annually by the Llao Llao Forum Foundation, with the participation of businessmen, entrepreneurs, politicians, and intellectuals. The idea emerged in response to the eruption of the Puyehue volcano in 2011, with Eduardo Elsztain inviting the Endeavor Foundation to hold their meeting at the hotel. The forum brings together between 70 and 100 participants for three days, with voluntary donations from its members.[10] [11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Hotel Llao Llao". IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones S.A. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  2. ^ "Cyttaria hariotii". Sistema de Información de Biodiversidad (in Spanish). Administración de Parques Nacionales. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  3. ^ Ramos, Jorge (1999). "Alejandro Bustillo: de la Hélade a la pampa". Arquitectura en Línea (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 February 2001. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  4. ^ Lolich, Liliana (2003). Hotel Llao Llao a través del tiempo (in Spanish). San Carlos de Bariloche: Museo de la Patagonia "Perito Moreno".
  5. ^ a b García Pastormerlo, Paz (29 December 2022). "Fue como descubrir un brillante. Así resurgió el Hotel Llao Llao, símbolo de la aristocracia argentina". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  6. ^ Goodman, Joshua (1 July 2000). "Patagonian Palace". Latin Trade. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  7. ^ Bianchi, Alejandro (1 April 2000). "IRSA hace negocios con los Sutton". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Third Argentine Polo". Traveler Magazine. San Marco Editora. 1999.
  9. ^ "Semana Musical Llao Llao, una nueva gala entre el lago y los bosques". Infobae (in Spanish). 3 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  10. ^ "Qué es el Foro Llao Llao". La Nación (in Spanish). 18 April 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  11. ^ Catalano, Sebastián (5 April 2025). "Foro Llao Llao: sin políticos invitados, un selecto grupo de empresarios del círculo rojo se reunió en una cumbre en Bariloche". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2026.