Architecture with a local identity: hotels that engage with their surroundings

There are hotels where, when you arrive and before you head out to discover the city, you have already begun to get to know it.

Sometimes it is a courtyard that reminds you where you are. Or a wall that preserves traces of another era. It may be the light coming through a window, a material that is part of the local tradition or, quite simply, that difficult-to-explain feeling of being somewhere that could only exist there.

Because there are buildings that do not need to tell their story: they leave it in plain sight. And when a hotel knows how to preserve it, integrate it and make it part of the experience, something very special happens. You stop feeling that you have just arrived and start feeling that, somehow, you are already within the destination.

On the occasion of our 25th anniversary, we want to take a closer look at four hotels that particularly well represent this way of understanding hospitality: Vincci Selección Posada del Patio 5* in Málaga, Vincci Ponte de Ferro 4* in Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto), Vincci La Rábida 4* in Seville and Vincci Capitol 4* in Madrid.

Four cities. Four architectures. Four different ways of engaging with the surroundings.

Vincci Selección Posada del Patio 5*: where the history of Málaga lies beneath your feet

In the heart of Málaga’s historic centre, Vincci Selección Posada del Patio 5* preserves heritage that is part of the city itself: a section of the ancient medieval wall, one of the most unique historical remains that can be discovered within a hotel.

The building occupies the site of former constructions, including one of the last inns that existed in Málaga, and preserves elements from those buildings, such as the courtyard, the entrance hall and part of the façade. But the true dialogue with the city lies beneath them: the wall, the ancient Puerta del Río and other archaeological remains remind us that this very space has witnessed different stages of Málaga’s history.

The architectural project decided not to hide this memory, but to integrate it into the hotel experience. Thus, contemporary architecture meets traces of Roman, Muslim and Christian Málaga.

And the courtyard, which gives the hotel its name, acts as a link between both worlds. A bright and peaceful space that recovers the importance these meeting places historically had in Mediterranean and Andalusian architecture.

At Vincci Selección Posada del Patio 5*, the city is also discovered beneath the hotel.

Room at the Vincci Selección Posada del Patio 5* Hotel.

Entremuros Restaurant at the Vincci Selección Posada del Patio 5* Hotel.

Ancient Wall at the Vincci Selección Posada del Patio 5* Hotel.

Vincci Ponte de Ferro 4*: when the Douro landscape enters the hotel

There are places whose identity is inevitably linked to a landscape. In Vila Nova de Gaia, that landscape has a name of its own: the Douro.

Next to the Dom Luís I Bridge and at the foot of the Serra do Pilar Monastery, Vincci Ponte de Ferro 4* blends into one of the most recognizable views of Porto and Gaia. But its relationship with the surroundings goes far beyond the views.

The hotel is made up of several historic buildings set on a steep slope. The complex restores buildings linked to different moments in the history of the place, including an old casino and spaces that were associated with wine cellars and storage, an activity inseparable from the identity of Vila Nova de Gaia.

Some architectural elements even come from other chapters in Porto’s history: four large stone arches from the former Convent of São Bento de Ave María were integrated into the project and are now part of the hotel façade.

The renovation, carried out by architects José Gigante and GGV Arquitectura, specifically sought to preserve this coexistence between the different layers of the place. And the interior design continues the dialogue: blues reminiscent of the characteristic Portuguese tiles, tones associated with wine and materials such as wood, stone, marble and brass.

Here, the architecture looks towards the river, but also towards the history that has grown along its banks.

Facade of the Vincci Ponte de Ferro 4* Hotel.

Ponte de Ferro Restaurant at the Vincci Ponte de Ferro 4* Hotel.

6 Ponte Sky Bar terrace at the Vincci Ponte de Ferro 4* Hotel.

Vincci La Rábida 4*: where the essence of Seville takes shape around a courtyard

In Seville, the local identity can be felt in the light, the shade, the materials and the unhurried rhythm of a courtyard.

Vincci La Rábida 4* occupies an 18th-century mansion in the Arenal district, very close to some of the city’s major landmarks. Its architecture preserves the spirit of the old Sevillian houses and finds one of its main meeting spaces in its courtyard.

Whitewashed walls, tiles, wrought iron, vegetation and a central fountain make up a small oasis in the heart of the historic centre.

It is architecture that speaks of Seville without needing to explain it. Of its domestic tradition, its relationship with the climate, the importance of intermediate spaces and that characteristic way of turning a courtyard into a place to live.

The details also matter: the entrance hall, the marble arches and columns, the wooden elements and the different spaces arranged around the courtyard all contribute to preserving the character of the original house.

Vincci La Rábida 4* does not need to reproduce Seville. It carries it within.

Restaurant at the Vincci La Rábida 4* Hotel.

Corridor at the Vincci La Rábida 4* Hotel.

Hall at the Vincci La Rábida 4* Hotel.

Vincci Capitol 4*: when a building becomes part of Madrid’s identity

And then we arrive in Madrid, where the dialogue with the surroundings takes another form.
Vincci Capitol 4* is located in one of the most recognizable buildings on Gran Vía: the former Carrión Building, designed by Luis Martínez-Feduchi and Vicente Eced and built between 1931 and 1933.

Its architecture, linked to art deco and expressionism, was born as a statement of modernity. The building was conceived as a large multifunctional space combining a hotel, cinema, offices, premises, café and other uses. A way of understanding architecture that reflected the spirit of a city that wanted to look towards the future.

Today, decades later, the building retains its essence and continues to be part of life in Madrid. The hotel shares the space with Cines Capitol and retains the structure and numerous original elements of the property.

And, above all, there is its silhouette. That chamfer overlooking Callao, the aerodynamic shapes of its façade and the legendary Schweppes illuminated sign that, since 1972, has been part of Gran Vía’s nighttime landscape.

Because there are buildings that eventually become symbols. And Capitol is one of them.

Event room at the Vincci Capitol 4* Hotel.

Capitol Rooftop at the Vincci Capitol 4* Hotel.

Bar at the Vincci Capitol 4* Hotel.

Four hotels, one shared vision

A wall in Málaga. The old wine buildings in Vila Nova de Gaia. A Sevillian courtyard. An icon of Madrid.
They are very different architectures, but they share something essential: none of them could be understood in the same way away from their city.

And perhaps that is one of the keys to the hospitality we want to celebrate on our 25th anniversary. Creating hotels that do not turn their backs on their surroundings, but know how to recognize them, respect them and make them part of the experience.

Because travelling is not simply about arriving at a destination. It is about sleeping within its history, looking through its architecture and discovering, from the hotel itself, what makes each place unique.

Architecture of the Vincci La Rábida 4* Hotel.

Bar at the Vincci Ponte de Ferro 4* Hotel.

Facade of the Vincci Capitol 4* Hotel.

Facade of the Vincci Selección Posada del Patio 5* Hotel.

25 years looking closely at every destination

Over these 25 years, at Vincci Hotels we have grown alongside very different cities, landscapes and destinations. And along the way we have learned that a hotel can be a gateway to the culture, history and personality of each place.

That is why continuing to discover the world with curiosity, respect and attention to what makes each destination unique is part of our way of understanding hospitality. A vision that has accompanied us throughout these 25 years and that we continue to carry with us every day. La Mirada Vincci.

"Come. Be surprised. Discover more than 40 4- and 5-star hotels where every experience is unique. Open your eyes. Look around. Enjoy the most privileged locations. Look. Touch. Feel a design and style that can be appreciated in every detail. Rest. Relax. Let yourself be cared for by a service where you are at the centre. Dream. Smile. Live. You are at a Vincci"

TRAVEL.LIVE.VINCCI