Club Frances turndown

Often a hotel is just a hotel. Even if it has a long history and photos of famous guests on the wall, that’s where the story ends. But Club Francés in Buenos Aires is in a building that has been a literary club since 1866. Since that time it has hosted a long list of great writers who came here to do readings and socialize. You’ll walk the same halls as Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, and the creator of The Little Prince.

That’s all nice and interesting, but if the place were just a dusty old nostalgia relic, that wouldn’t attract a whole lot of luxury travelers headed to Argentina. Club Frances is a member of Preferred Boutique Hotels though and it takes its cues from France, with elegant rooms and buttoned-up service that’s serious, not casual.

Hotel Club Francés is in the posh Recoleta district of Buenos Aires, close to many other high-end hotels we have reviewed that are elegant and full of history. This one only has 28 rooms and suites, however, so it’s a much more intimate affair where you can expect personalized service to go with all the crystal chandeliers and gold leaf.

Frances Hotel Buenos Aires

This is an especially good choice for those who wish they could travel back in time to when B.A. was in its heyday, when the wealthy captains of industry and the greatest artists of the time frequented the clubs and hotels here. You can take in a wrought-iron and marble staircase and admire the stained-glass ceiling. If you go for a drink in the Boisserie bar, which wouldn’t have looked out of place in Paris of the early 1900s. Order a classic cocktail and bring a good book instead of checking the chatter on your smartphone.

Standard rooms are the more modern options, while the suites are “delightfully old–fashioned in style,” filled with rich drapery and classic French furniture. Baths are not stuck in time, however, and some suites have a whirlpool.

As our local reviewer said, “Sure, there are flashier, better–known luxury hotels in this prestigious neighborhood of Buenos Aires, but for literary buffs and Francophiles, this one is a delight.”

See our full review of Hotel Club Frances in Argentina.