La Fonda, New Mexico’s most cherished landmark hotel, combines illustrious character and ambiance, ultimate luxury and historic integrity to provide what other hotels cannot – the latest in modern amenities along with the essence of a long-gone era. The 80-year-old, three-diamond hotel features a fine restaurant with an award-winning chef, a roof-top bar, a new fitness center and spa, 14 deluxe suites and original artwork set in a historic pueblo-style building on Santa Fe’s Plaza.
The current 167-room hotel dates back to 1922, but the site has been home to an inn for nearly 400 years. When Santa Fe was founded in 1607, official records from the time show a "fonda," or inn, among the first businesses established. More than two hundred years later, in 1821, when Captain William Becknell completed the first successful trading expedition from Missouri to Santa Fe – a route that came to be known as the Santa Fe Trail – he enjoyed the hospitality at the inn (la fonda), where the Santa Fe Trail ended at the town’s central Plaza.
The hotel was built on the site of the previous inn 80 years ago. For more than 40 years, from 1926 to 1968, La Fonda was one of the Harvey Houses, a renowned chain of fine hotels. Since 1968, La Fonda has been locally owned and operated. Its interior has become a virtual museum of original southwestern art and handicrafts. The hotel's furniture and fixtures are original, handcrafted designs. Its walls are covered with many paintings of historical significance, including a charcoal by Georgia O’Keeffe.
Some works in La Fonda’s vast art collection were painted by artists who once resided at the hotel. More than 1,000 works of art were created by Ernest Martinez, a staff artist who has left his mark throughout the hotel, painting furniture, tiles, doors and murals. During the 1950s and 1960s, La Fonda became a popular artists’ haunt, attracting the likes of Will Shuster, Henry Balink, Vladan Stiha, and Horace Aiken.
While maintaining its artistic character, La Fonda has upgraded its amenities over the years to provide a comfortable, luxurious experience for its guests.
For breakfast, lunch and dinner, La Plazuela Restaurant is staffed by an award-winning culinary team, headed by executive chef Lane Warner, who recently won top honors at an international chef’s competition. Traditional New Mexican, Nuevo Latino, continental and American dishes are masterfully prepared with the freshest local ingredients.
Throughout its long history, La Fonda has changed and evolved many times, but it continues to be the true heart of Santa Fe for visitors and locals alike.
For more information on the La Fonda Hotel, please go to their web site located at www.lafondasantafe.com