Opened in 1901, the Gran Hotel in Mérida is the city's oldest hotel, showcasing French neo-Classical architecture that has attracted numerous movie producers and photographers. Its guestbook includes names such as Fidel Castro, Charles Lindbergh, Douglas Fairbanks, and César Augusto Sandino. With its majestic building, constructed in 1900, the Gran Hotel has remained a landmark in the heart of Mérida for over 90 years. This elegant and iconic downtown structure evokes the Belle Époque of Mexico. It has long been a gathering place for artists, writers, models, and a central location for filmmakers. Restored in 1987 to its original French neo-Classical style, the Gran Hotel offers one of the richest experiences in comfort and hospitality in southeastern Mexico. As the saying goes, "The Gran Hotel is Mérida. If you haven’t been to the Gran, you haven’t been to Mérida."
My love affair with the Gran Hotel coincided with my growing affection for the city of Mérida. At the time, I was a visiting student at the School of Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Back then, there were multiple daily flights between Miami and Mérida; now, there's only one.
Roberto, a wellspring of Mérida's history, has worked at the Gran Hotel since 1978, yet remains tight-lipped about its past. Remarkably, in its 123-year history, the hotel has been owned by just two local families.
Tonight, I’m staying in the very room where a prominent American icon from the 1930s stayed back in 1934.
