The hotel is one of a pair of twin buildings designed in 1937 by architect
Alejandro Bustillo. Inspired by the seafront
Hotel du Palais in
Biarritz,
France, the hotel and neighboring
Casino Central remain architectural landmarks of the city of Mar del Plata as well as of Argentina. The Casino opened on December 22, 1939 and President
Ramón Castillo inaugurated the Rambla in December 1941. Work on the 500-room hotel slowed, however, and it was not completed for nearly ten years. The hotel's lobby featured murals painted by César Bustillo (the architect's son) and its decoration was planned by famed French designer
Jean-Michel Frank (who was in Argentina at work on the
Llao Llao Hotel) together with Casa Comte. The structure was completed in 1948 and the Hotel Provincial opened on February 18, 1950, and was long the largest in Argentina. The neighboring Casino Central was the largest in the world by floor space until the 1990 opening of
Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, in
Atlantic City. Operation of the publicly-owned hotel was privatized in 1984, with the concession granted to
Empresa Hotelera Americana. Ongoing losses led the operator to withdraw from the business at the end of 1998, and the provincial government closed the hotel. The hotel has hosted numerous
Mar del Plata Film Festivals, as well as the 2010
Ibero-American Summit. Its more notable international guests have included actors
Gina Lollobrigida and
Paul Newman. == Architecture ==