I have literally been waiting on this hotel to open for years. From what I could, even from the beginning, was that this was the hotel that Lima should have always had: a cool, boutique, not a big chain property set in Barranco, the most atmospheric neighborhood in Lima, if not all of South America. On April 20th Arts Boutique Hotel B, formerly known as Hotel Barranco or simply Hotel B, will open beside Galeria Lucia de la Puente.

Built by the same owners as Titilaka, a luxe lodge on Lake Titicaca that is now a Relais & Chateaux property, the 17 suite Hotel B pulled in some of the biggest names in Peruvian hospitality: interior designer Jordi Puig, restaurateur Oscar Velarde, art collector Susana de la Puente, and hotelier Ignacio Masias. The atmosphere will be that of a turn of the century explorer’s club, a concept that aligns so perfectly with Peru that it is a wonder that it hasn’t been done before. The hotel sits at the epicenter of Lima’s art world in the bohemian Barranco district and is a short walk from malecón and the Pacific Ocean, restaurants like LA 73 and Amor Amar, and the very best shops and galleries in the city.

The property was carved out of a two story, Belle Époque mansion, originally built in 1914 as a summer seaside retreat during the presidency of Augusto Leguia by French architect Claude Sahut, who is also responsible for remodeling parts of the Palacio de Gobierno and several of Lima´s main avenues, parks, and theaters. The building has been used by only two family’s in the past century and many of the original features remain: an ornate façade, high ceilings, teatinas (a local style of raised skylights), open balconies, and marbled terraces. New additions include a three story contemporary building with more rooms, a vertical garden, rooftop terrace, and a heated plunge pool.

Foodwise, a signature restaurant, tentatively called El Comedor, will open from Oscar Velarde, the celebrated Peruvian chef whose La Gloria has long been considered one of Lima’s finest. Like La Gloria, the menu will showcase Velarde’s Peruvian-Mediterranean style set in an olde Lima or bohemian café type of atmosphere with checkered tile floors and a long wooden bar. Aside from breakfast, lunch, and dinner service, lonche, a sort of Peruvian tea time with finger sandwiches, biscuits, and fresh fruit. The bar and restaurant will be open to the public.

Hotel B
Calle San Martín 301, Barranco
Lima, Peru
T. +51 1 700 5106
hotelb.pe

Nicholas Gill (470 Posts)

Writer and photographer Nicholas Gill is the editor/publisher of New World Review. He lives in Lima, Peru and Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CondeNast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, and Penthouse. Visit his personal website (nicholas-gill.com) for more information.