Hotel Santa Catalina

Hotel Santa Catalina is set in a unique and singular location: Ciudad Jardín, in the heart of Parque Doramas. Considered at the time of its opening in 1890 to be “the best in Europe”, it has hosted figures such as Maria Callas, Ava Gardner, Gregory Peck and Agatha Christie; it has welcomed kings, heads of government and travellers from all over the world; it has been the setting for major social and cultural events; and it is home to two Michelin-starred restaurants.

In 2019, it was recognised as Europe’s Best Luxury Historic Hotel and Southern Europe’s Best Luxury Cultural Hotel at the World Luxury Hotel Awards.

The constant flow of British visitors led the Gran Canaria Island Company Limited to build the city’s first hotel in what was then known as the Vega de Santa Catalina, surrounded by gardens and just one hundred metres from the beach. The hotel closed in 1914 and was acquired in 1923 by the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

In 1946, after years of disuse, the deteriorated wooden building was demolished and replaced by a new project by architect Miguel Martín-Fernández de la Torre: a building in the Neo-Canarian style, influenced by the artistic vision of his brother, the artist Néstor. The hotel reopened in 1952 and has since undergone several extensions and renovations, continuing to offer luxury services in a garden setting next to Pueblo Canario.

Today, this municipally owned hotel is managed by the Barceló Group, which was responsible for its most recent major refurbishment.

Each year, the hotel hosts the Santa Catalina Classics festival in its gardens and halls, bringing together renowned figures of classical music alongside emerging young talents.