A ''parador'' (), in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and other

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

-speaking countries was an establishment where travelers could seek

lodging Lodging refers to the use of a short-term dwelling, usually by renting the living space or sometimes through some other arrangement. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, food, safety, shel ...

, and usually, food and drink, similar to an

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

. In Spain since 1928, a

Parador A ''parador'' (), in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries was an establishment where travelers could seek lodging, and usually, food and drink, similar to an inn. In Spain since 1928, a Parador is a state-owned luxury hotel, usually loca ...

is a state-owned luxury

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

, usually located in a converted historic building such as a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, or in a modern building in a nature area with a special appeal or with a panoramic view of a historic and monumental city. Paradores de Puerto Rico is a brand of small inns, similar to

bed and breakfasts A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

, that have government permission to call themselves based on a set of criteria. In Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile, a small number of

estancia An estancia or estância is a large, private plot of land used for farming or raising cattle or sheep. Estancias are located in the southern South American grasslands of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia, while the ''pampas'' have historically bee ...

s, particularly those with historic architecture, have been converted into guest ranches called paradores. ''Parar'' means to stop, halt or stay in Spanish.

Paradores de Turismo de España

Paradores de Turismo de España, branded as Paradores, is a Spanish

state-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...

chain of luxury hotels that are usually located in historic buildings or in modern buildings in nature areas with a special appeal or with panoramic views of historical and monumental cities. The company was created with the double objective of promoting

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

in areas that lacked adequate accommodations, and of putting unused large historic buildings to use, for the maintenance of the national heritage. Along its history, the establishments of its network have been branded as Parador, Parador Nacional, Parador de Turismo or Parador Nacional de Turismo in different times. Its first Parador was inaugurated by King

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French language, French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May ...

on 9 October 1928 in

Navarredonda de Gredos Navarredonda de Gredos is a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2011 census ( INE), the municipality had a population of 472 inhabitants. The area is located at an elevation of above sea leve ...

(

Ávila Ávila ( , , ) is a Spanish city located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m a ...

) and was purpose–built. The first Parador to be converted from a historic building was the

Parador de Oropesa The Parador de Oropesa, also known as Virrey de Toledo, is a four-star Paradores, Parador hotel located in the town of Oropesa, Spain, Oropesa, in the province of Toledo, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It was converted o ...

, opened in 1930. The

Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixed ...

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

, one of the oldest continuously operating hotels in the world, is the finest and the largest by capacity Parador. This state-run network has been profitable and operates ninety-eight Paradores as of 2022. The Portuguese equivalent, the

Pousadas de Portugal Pousadas de Portugal () is a chain of luxury, traditional or historical hotels in Portugal. Formerly run by the Portuguese State, they are now run by the Pestana Group, which in September 2003 won a public bid for the sale of 37.6% of parent com ...

, were founded in 1941, after the Spanish model.

Paradores de Puerto Rico

The

Puerto Rico Tourism Company The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (, or simply ''Turismo'') is the government-owned corporation in charge of tourism matters and regulations in Puerto Rico. The company was created during Governor Luis A. Ferré's administration (1969-1973) to coo ...

was established during the early 1970s under the administration of Governor

Luis A. Ferre Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

, who wanted to enhance the tourism sector of the island. The company runs an enterprise known as Paradores de Puerto Rico; these are typically small, one-of-a-kind, locally owned and operated hotels located in rural areas throughout the island commonwealth. They are frequented by guests looking to enjoy the local customs and charm. Often called "country inns" in English, Paradores de Puerto Rico are usually located in rural areas. To be part of the Paradores de Puerto Rico Program, the hotel must meet certain standards set by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. These include being located outside the

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

metro area (most of them are located on the west coast or in the mountains), having 15 to 75 rooms, having a restaurant on site or nearby, and being family-owned and operated.

References

{{reflist Hotel types

Paradores de Turismo de España

Paradores de Puerto Rico

See also

References