Paradores de Turismo de España, S. A., known simply as Paradores, or traditionally as Paradores Nacionales de Turismo, is a Spanish public hotel chain that manages almost one hundred hotels distributed throughout Spain and, since October 2015, a franchise in Portugal. The establishments are located in emblematic buildings or notable locations that have been selected for their historical, artistic or cultural interest.[2]​ Thirty of its hotels are classified as assets of cultural interest "Asset of cultural interest (Spain)")[3]​ and another fifteen are located in historical complexes declared assets of cultural interest.

The first establishment was inaugurated to the public in Navarredonda de Gredos (Ávila) in 1928 and the last one built, opened on June 25, 2020, is in Mugía (La Coruña) on the Costa de la Muerte.

Origin

The Paradores concept dates back to 1926 when the Marquis de la Vega-Inclán promoted the construction of an accommodation in the Sierra de Gredos, which would become the first Parador in the network. After the inauguration of this first establishment on October 9, 1928, the Board of Paradores and Inns of the Kingdom was established.

Originally, they wanted to build a series of hotels in places where private initiative did not reach and that had conditions to attract tourism, such as places of great beauty, or towns with varied cultural, artistic, and historical wealth. Starting from the Parador de Gredos, we also wanted to take advantage of and rehabilitate some of the numerous abandoned historical and artistic monuments located in the surroundings.[5]​.

Growth

The next to open their doors were the Hostería del Estudiante in Alcalá de Henares and the one in Ciudad Rodrigo (Salamanca) in 1929, those in Oropesa (Toledo) and Úbeda (Jaén "Province of Jaén (Spain)") in 1930 and the one in Mérida (Badajoz) in 1933.

At the same time, the National Tourist Board, starting in 1928, began to build the Roadside Shelters for Motorists that, within two types of different orientation and in a proto-rationalist style), were adapted to the conditions of the place. Designed and built by the architects Carlos Arniches and Martín Domínguez, not all of them were the same, according to the commitment that they themselves had acquired when they won the competition in 1929.[6]​ Later They were integrated into the network of Paradores. There were twelve: Almazán, Aranda del Duero, Benicarló, Medinaceli, Peñas de Riglos, Bailén, Antequera, Puerto Lumbreras, Quintanar de la Orden, La Bañeza, Manzanares and Puebla de Sanabria, of which some have been renovated (Almazán, Aranda de Duero, Medinaceli, Puerto Lumbreras, Quintanar de la Orden, Manzanares, Puebla de Sanabria), others have disappeared (Benicarló, Antequera, La Bañeza) and others are in ruins (Bailén, Peñas de Riglos). Those that remain have been greatly renovated (as is the case of Manzanares "Manzanares (Ciudad Real)") in Ciudad Real, modified to make it more "typical", having lost its rationalist character).