Jul 19, 2018
The Hilton Aruba Caribbean Celebrates Fifty-Nine Years of Exceptional Hospitality
The Aruba Caribbean Hotel officially opened on July 18th 1959.
It was affectionately known as the “Grande Dame,” at the time and it occupied and still does, 15 acres of the island’s most spectacular oceanfront on Palm Beach, with tropical gardens reflecting Aruba’s indigenous vegetation and a host of luxurious amenities.
Capitalizing on its distinctive architecture and open-air design, originally masterminded by the renowned American architect Morris Lapidus in the late 1950s, the resort recently underwent complete renovations in late 2016 whereby the furniture, fixtures and décor were picked to recapture that retro era, dating back to the resort’s conception.
“It was a very exciting undertaking for us,” states General Manager Hans-Georg Roehrbein. “There was very little construction and no radical changes made to the historic design of the property. The Aruba Growth Fund, which partly own and operates the resort totally maintained its Caribbean-inspired spirit and style so treasured by loyal resort guests.”
The resort will be celebrating its celebrated its 59th anniversary this summer. During its years as a bastion of island hospitality, the resort always safeguarded its evergreen appeal and popularity as one of Aruba’s most loved vacation places.
Among its very lovely features a friendly Porte Cochere inside a blue glass pyramid, leading to the lobby entrance graced by benches, raised planters, and swing benches.
The Aruba Tower lobby flaunts two boat-shaped Hilton Honors reception areas that are free-standing guest registration pods.
The classic flagstone floor is nicely restored, and the lobby is comfortably appointed with lounge chairs, ottomans, sofas with accent cushions, cocktail tables, and decorative lanterns.
The lobby concierge, and the popular De Palm Tours desk, offer easy access to bookings and activities.
The lobby includes a great number of original artworks. All canvases hung in public spaces and rooms, have been especially created, emphasizing and old/new connection of the resort to the island. Over 300 original works were commissioned, all based on old photographs and memorabilia. They were gleaned from archives and private collections, depicting the resort in the late 60s, and early 70s.
The Lobby Café, at the heart of the reception area, provides fabulous Smit & Dorlas coffees.
The lobby retail area, Tropical Breeze and Eva Boutique, adjacent to the Lobby Café, contribute to the location’s liveliness, day and night, and the Lobby’s Casino Entrance leads down to the fun ground-floor gaming emporium.
The 357 resort rooms including a number of suites and mini suites feature super comfortable furnishings, inspiring Zen rest, with artwork in harmonious colors with all technology needs addressed in the design.
The resort’s Mira Solo Bar, the popular cocktail lounge overlooking the Palm Beach tree tops, serves cocktails and light meals any hour of the day or night.
The adjacent Sunset Grille, the resort’s signature steakhouse continues to serve the best food on the planet, complemented by spectacular views and is open for dinner nightly.
The resort’s tropical pools, one lively, the other quiet, feature specialty cabanas, with day beds, and lounge seating under plenty of shade, for all-day fun in the sun activities.
On the eve of its 59th birthday, the Aruba Growth Fund has an unwavering long-term commitment to the resort project and has built an excellent reputation and trust over the past three years of operation.
Remembering the resort’s inaugural, ribbon cutting ceremony in 2015, the words expressed by businessman Rene Kan, still resonate fresh and true: “I’m very excited about the future of this hotel,” he said.” I see a resort that’s the number one travel destination on Aruba. I see a place where our teammates come to work and leave each day with smiles on their faces. I see a hotel whose place in history cannot be forgotten but whose future is an integral part of our home island.”
The vow made in 2015 to continue to work together to create beautiful experiences for anyone visiting the resort and the fantastic island of Aruba, is still valid and perfectly accurate.
