Hilton Curaçao
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The Hilton Curaçao is one of ten hotels operated under the Hilton Caribbean brand, which has branches in the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Isla Margarita, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Trinidad and Tobago.
The hotel was designed by the architectural firm Toro, Ferrer y Torregrosa from Puerto Rico, in association with Ben Smit, a local Curaçao architect, and was opened in 1967. Toro, Ferrer y Torregrosa had created the first Hilton Hotel outside the continental United States, the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico (opened in 1949), while Ben Smit had been involved in the design of the Hotel Curaçao Intercontinental (currently Plaza Hotel Curaçao). The Hilton Curaçao was the third seaside hotel to open in Curaçao, after the Avila Hotel was inaugurated in 1949 and the Hotel Curaçao Intercontinental in 1955.
The original building was a blend of typical Curaçao elements and contemporary architecture. The windows were inspired by the frontage line of houses on the Handelskade in Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles, while the main building material was concrete. The remains of the Piscadera Bay Fort, an eighteenth century fortification built to safeguard the Bay from attacks by English, Spanish and French invading forces, were restored and harmonized in the landscaping of the resort.
The hotel changed ownership in 1983 and was renamed Curaçao Concorde. In the following years it was consecutively renamed Curaçao Caribbean Resort and Curaçao Casino Resort until being rebranded Sheraton Curaçao Resort in 1999.
The Hilton Hotels Corporation regained ownership in 2003, and carried out an extensive refurbishment that replaced the original grid exterior consisting of typical arched windows for more open balconies. The interior and exterior were repainted in bright Caribbean colors. Recent improvements include a new executive floor and lounge, a meeting room renovation, a new café and gift shop, a ballroom and a beach bar, which have all been completed in time for the hotel’s 40 year anniversary in 2007.
The main hotel complex is located on the shores of Piscadera Bay, but the resort stretches along the Caribbean Sea around the southern coast of the island. Recreational facilities include two private beaches (one at the Bay and a larger one along the coast), three swimming pools, a dive school, two tennis courts, a mini golf course, a healthclub, a spa and a casino. Dinner facilities include Aqua (a buffet restaurant), Cielo (an Italian a la carte restaurant) and the new Beach Bar & Grill.
[edit] References
- Curaçao Architectural Style. Fonk H, Van der Neut R. 1999. Curaçao: Curaçao Style Foundation.
- One Century of Architecture on Curaçao. Gill, RG. 1999.
