Heritage Hotels & Resorts recently completed the transformation of the Hotel Plaza Real into the newly opened Hotel Chimayo de Santa Fe. The new property incorporates the culture of Chimayo - a historical agricultural community nestled in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains just 30 minutes north of Santa Fe - into its accommodations and amenities and donates room proceeds to preserve Chimayo culture.
"Chimayo is such a special place with a unique story and history," said Jim Long, Heritage Hotels & Resorts CEO. "By partnering with the Chimayo community in this project, we hope to help inform visitors about the history and culture of Chimayo and to preserve the original community heritage for future generations."
A percentage of the hotel's room revenue profits will be donated to the Chimayo Cultural Preservation Association, which works to preserve the culture of Chimayo by building an archive of historical photographs and documents, gathering oral histories, maintaining historic buildings and increasing community awareness of local history and culture.
Hotel Chimayo features custom authentic artwork by more than 70 artists from Chimayo. Chimayo community members crafted 500 handmade crosses from found materials to accent the fireplace mantels in each hotel room and weavings designed and crafted by award-winning Chimayo artists adorn the lobby and hotel rooms.
The renovated hotel also includes a new bar and restaurant. Low n Slow Lowrider Bar, named after the book "Low n Slow - Lowriding in New Mexico" by Jack Parsons and Carmella Padilla, is designed to capture the essence of the low-rider culture and offers authentic lowrider elements by Chimayo specialists. The street outside the bar offers an exclusive "Lowrider Only" reserved parking space.
Tia's Cocina New Mexican Restaurante serves rustic village foods prepared by Santa Fe's renowned chef Estevan Garcia in a family dining atmosphere. The hotel has commissioned a Chimayo agricultural grower to produce the famous Chimayo chile, a small heirloom chile known for its distinctive robust flavor. The first chile crop will be available in the fall of 2011.
The Details
Hotel Chimayo de Santa Fewww.hotelchimayo.com
