The Plaza was developed by local landowner and banker
Ernesto Tornquist, in anticipation of the crowds of tourists expected for the 1910
Argentina Centennial celebrations. Facing
San Martín Square, the nine-story hotel was designed by
German-born architect Alfred Zucker and built at the northern end of
Florida Street. Although Tornquist died before its opening, with the presence of President
José Figueroa Alcorta. At the time, it was
the tallest building in Buenos Aires, until being surpassed by the
Kavanagh Building, Touted at the time as the finest hotel in South America, it was also its most modern. The original 160 rooms and 16 suites had central heating, telephones, and elevator service. The hotel was wholly furnished by the prestigious
London houses of Thompson & Company and
Waring & Gillow. Marble sculptures by
Gustav Eberlein of
Germany and ceiling frescoes by
Julio Vila y Prades of
Spain added to its decor. A neighboring addendum (separated by a street) was blueprinted as a garden, but by the 1920s was built into a smaller building (then eventually destroyed). The main hotel has an extensive basement and sub-basement.
Marriott Hotels assumed management in 1994 and the hotel was renamed the "Marriott Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires", though the property was still owned by Tornquist's descendants. Following a US$10 million refurbishment, it was awarded a
five-star rating. It was renovated ahead of its 100th anniversary in 2009, which was celebrated with tours for local residents and a book about its history. In 2013, the Tornquist and Shaw families sold the hotel to the Grupo Sutton Dabbah for 280 million pesos (approximately $48 million US at the time) and the hotel left Marriott, returning to its historic name, the Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires. The hotel closed on April 29, 2017. Its furnishings and contents were sold to the public in 2021. Plans were announced in 2022 for a $50-million reconstruction of the building, designed by BMA, an architecture firm based in Argentina,
Chile, and
Miami. The original structure was planned to be converted to luxury residences, while the 1948 extension was demolished in 2022, to be replaced by a 12-story hotel, opening in 2027. The
interior design was assigned to local architect Martín Zanotti, who attributed various
phoenix-themed decorations he found in the old hotel to Tornquist. ==Famous guests==