La Concha Renaissance San Juan Resort

The hotel was first opened in 1958 during the Tropical Modernism Movement. The building was designed by Osvaldo Toro and Miguel Ferrer, of the firm Toro Ferrer Architects. Another part of the complex, the seashell-inspired building for the restaurant La Perla, was designed by architect Mario Salvadori . La Concha Resort incorporates tropical climate features such as cross-ventilation, natural illumination, open lobbies and seamless transitions between inside and outside spaces, with details supposedly relevant to Island traditions: an interior patio, blinds, a mirador encompassing both the sea and the city and the use of water throughout as a leitmotif. The protective concrete element in the façade, called brise-soleil in French or “quiebrasol” in Spanish, is an architectural element used by famed architect Le Corbusier. The purpose of the “quiebrasol” is to filter the sun's rays towards the interior corridors.

In 1973, the La Concha was united with the adjacent Condado Beach Hotel into one hotel, known as the Hyatt Puerto Rico.[1] In 1976,[2] the complex was taken over by Hilton International[3] and renamed the Condado Beach La Concha Convention Center, with a huge convention wing built between the two existing hotel structures. The complex was later taken over by Carnival Cruise Line[4] and renamed the Condado Beach Trio, before closing in 1995.[5] The government-owned properties sat vacant for years, and were finally severed in 2004, and the convention center between them was demolished to build a public park.[6]

The La Concha reopened in December 2007,[5] managed by Renaissance Hotels as La Concha Renaissance San Juan Resort, after a $220 million renovation.

In the summer of 2010, the hotel opened a $100 million addition called The Suites Tower which features an atrium style building with one and two bedroom suites, kitchens, architectural lighting, and amenities. The hotel's Casino del Mar is located on the street level of the new tower.

• List of hotels in Puerto Rico

Media related to La Concha Resort at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website