An Art Deco Masterpiece in Iquitos, Peru
Douglass G. Norvell, Ph.D.
Economist
Navigate Miami's urban jungle down to South Beach and you can book a hotel built in the classic Art Deco style for $200 a night, plus another $24 in hotel taxes. Sail on a riverboat down to Peru's jungle port of Iquitos, and you can book a classic Art Deco hotel for $30 a night, and the Peruvian government forgets about the taxes. Everyone in Iquitos is glad to see responsible tourists, especially the Acosta's family tourism company who owns the Hotel Acosta.
The Hotel Acosta
The Hotel Acosta is an art deco jewel built right after WW II to serve traditional business travelers to Iquitos. This original flagship hotel was built by Sr. Carlos Acosta Ross, who also had the foresight to buy paintings by traditional Peruvian artists, which decorate the lobby today.
Most notable of the paintings is one by Angel Chavez, a famous Peruvian artist who followed the new realism school paralleled in Mexico by Diego Riviera and Freda Khalo. Works by Cliver Flores Lanza, a contemporary Peruvian artist complement the earlier works by Chavez.
As most readers will know, the Art Deco style first became popular right after World War I, when designers and architects began to use smooth curves and simple angles to replace the complex structures associated with the Baroque era.
Look at the simple squares and rectangles surrounding the check in desk at Hotel Acosta, complemented by soft colors. For years, staff at the Hotel had forgotten about Art Deco, but now shares its appreciation with visitors.
Carmen, who has worked at the Hotel for fourteen years, loves to show guest the smooth curves and long lobby often associated with the great ocean liners that sailed the North Atlantic in the first half of the 20th Century.
Even a bookcase made from tropical hardwoods is fashioned in the Art Deco style. Going on, fresh flowers and a traditional Shipibo Pot, itself reminiscent of the Art Deco style, round out the decor of this small hotel.
A beautiful Heliconia Flower
The Hotel Acosta is small (32 rooms), secure and friendly. From the day you arrive, each member of the staff will know your name.
