Hotel Meliá
Hotel Meliá is a historic colonial style family owned and operated hotel located in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Puerto Rico. Hotel Meliá, which was founded over 60 years before the much larger Meliá Hotels International chain opened its first lodging facility, bears no relation to the multi-hotel chain headquartered in Spain.
Location
The colonial facade of Hotel Meliá is located across from Parque de Bombas in Plaza Las Delicias, in downtown Ponce.Design
The hotel lobby, with its polished wood paneling, plush seating and marble floors is traditional of the hotel's long-recognized throwback elegance. The hotel has been called "reminiscent of Old World Spain'." Hotel Meliá Ponce's design was inspired by a small hotel in Barcelona, Spain. The tile on the second floor is similar to what is oftentimes seen in an Old World Spanish hotel. "The feeling of Europe is evident also in the layout of the property as one level up from the lobby there is an open air area...the architecture is a "unique mix of cultures with the Spanish influence reinvented”.History
In 1890, Bartolo Meliá moved from Mallorca, Spain to Ponce to take an accounting job. Once he arrived to Puerto Rico, Meliá discovered that the owners of the business he was to take a job at were in jail. Not discouraged, he settled in Ponce and opened a small grocery store across Plaza Las Delicias. Meliá imported many goods from Europe which established his reputation as a popular grocer in the city. Thanks to his success as a grocer, he expanded his store into a restaurant. Seeing the need for an overnight stay of drivers making their trips from San Juan to Ponce and the convenient location of his grocery-restaurant, he then expanded into a small hotel.Bartolo Meliá founded the Meliá in 1895. It was originally a 2-story structure but was later converted into a four-story building as the hotel business expanded. From very early times the hotel became well known for its attention to personal details, cleanliness, hospitality, service and courtesy. It quickly became a preferred destination for Ponce business travelers. "Mr. Meliá is a prince of hosts, and a man who never grudges at going out of his way to oblige a guest."
Meliá was the first hotel in Puerto Rico to offer a telephone line and a private bathroom in each room. As the business grew, so did the hotel. It saw major expansions in 1915, 1940 and 1960. The original hotel faced Plaza Las Delicias, but in 1915 Alfredo Wiechers Pieretti redesigned it to have its entrance on Calle Cristina, increasing the number of its rooms from nine to 21. In 1940, Francisco Porrata Doria added 26 new rooms bringing the total number of rooms to 47. In 1960, 26 additional rooms yet were added by Enrique Soler Cloquell bringing the total to the actual number of 73 rooms.