Hotel Spotlight: Inn and Spa at Loretto

I was sold on a single image.  I googled Santa Fe before our recent trip, and the photograph from this post popped up.  I immediately booked a room at the Inn & Spa at Loretto.

Image via Travelmoon

The hotel’s exterior is highly photographed (some websites claim it is the most photographed spot in Santa Fe) as it’s modeled after the Taos Pueblo and who wouldn’t want to stay in a modern day pueblo while in Santa Fe?  

It was a bonus to find that this hotel is smack dab in the center of all of the sites of interest: the Central Plaza, the oldest Church and House, as well as Canyon Road.  We were upgraded upon arrival gratis, and greeted with impeccable service and recommendations throughout our stay.

Oldest House and Church in the United States

It has been quite some time since Southwest decor was all the rage, and it’s not something I would personally use in my own home, but as they say “when in Rome,”  and in Santa Fe I wouldn’t even consider staying anywhere that wasn’t representative of the city and Southwestern style itself.

One thing that distinctly lingers from Thom Filicia’s talk at the Laguna Design Center was this advice: when conceptualizing your design, you should consider the context of the location.  It follows, that if you are in Santa Fe you wouldn’t really want to build or stay in a French Chateau.

Image via Inn and Spa at Loretto

The newly renovated Loretto Inn had all the trappings of Southwest decor, interpreted literally in the room: iron oxide hued walls, Native American inspired patterned blankets with a similarly painted border.  

But interpreted with a refreshing twist that I delighted in, at their restaurant Luminaria: white beams, gray walls, gray rattan chairs with crisp white cushions, wide plank light wood floors, banquettes with orange pillows all with Native American symbols, wood fixtures with lit candles scattered on the wall; and of course, no Santa Fe restaurant is complete without paying homage to the local art and artists by hanging their work on the walls.

Santa Fe is a sleepy town, not a place I would recommend for a night owl, our nightly activities included wandering through the lobbies (and sometimes rooms) of other hotels, and we found that the Inn & Spa at Loretto was our favorite and will definitely be our go-to hotel upon a return trip.