Nacional S.A., a public initiative promoted by the Production Development Corporation (CORFO) to strengthen regional hotels and promote tourism in Chile. With resources leveraged from Ferrocarriles del Estado, Caja Nacional de Ahorros, and Banco de Chile (Pérez Oyarzun, 2017), the Hotel Consortium undertook the construction of a network of hotels aimed at expanding coverage to the north of the country. Among its main projects are the Hotel Turismo Francisco de Aguirre in La Serena (Martin Lira, 1946-1947), which is an integral part of the Historic Center of La Serena; the Hotel Turismo de Antofagasta (Martín Lira, 1949-1953); the Hotel City in Concepción (1950); the Yacht Club La Herradura in Coquimbo (Martín Lira, 1950-1951); and the Hotel Pedro de Valdivia in Valdivia (Guillermo Bustos, 1952). At the same time, private initiatives supported by CORFO funding also emerged, such as the emblematic Hotel Antumalal (Jorge Elton and Miguel Eyquem, 1947-1950), built on the shores of Lake Villar- rica. All these buildings are generally located in areas of expansion—on coastlines, lakeshores, or riverbanks—enhancing urban areas and es- tablishing new relationships with the natural landscape. In 1953, Consorcio Hotelero Nacional S.A. merged with Organización Nacional Hotelera S.A.³, a subsidiary of Ferrocarriles del Estado, to form Hotelera Nacional S.A. (HONSA)⁴, a subsidiary of CORFO. Its functions focused on the construction of inns, understood as smaller-scale es- tablishments, strategically located along the main roads. Its objective was to expand the territorial coverage of tourism, from the far north to the center-south of the country, fostering tourist circuit integration and diversification of offerings.⁵ During Ibáñez del Campo's second term and Jorge Alessandri Ro- dríguez's presidency, inns were built in Tocopilla, Calama, San Pedro de Atacama, Taltal, Vicuña, and Palena. Other notable examples include the Arica Inn (Hermes Loyola and Jorge Bravo, 1956), the inns in San Felipe (1960) and Chañaral (1960-1961), designed by the Bresciani, Valdés, Castillo, and Huidobro firm; the Hostería de Cavancha in Iquique (Martín Lira, 1962); and the hostels in Ancud and Castro designed by Emilio Du- hart in 1962. The typology used was the hotel-pavilion, constructed with simple modulations that emphasized the relationship between interior and exterior and a direct approach to the geography, allowing the hotels to be quickly positioned in privileged geographical locations. These ty- pologies allowed for a clear use of modern architectural concepts, such as open floor plans, an open architectural structure, transparency, the use of climate control devices, and a full relationship with the landscape and nature⁶. In the cases of Ancud and Castro, Duhart integrated organic materials and local construction techniques with modern design and technology in terms of the treatment of programmatic distribution and spaces (Meynard, 2025). In the 1970s, Salvador Allende's government promoted tourism with a social focus and mass access⁷. Starting in 1971, the Community Facilities Directorate (DIPEC) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development built 16 popular beach resorts designed as formal camps for the middle and working classes to relax. Designed by architect Renato Hernán- dez, these camps were located in Iquique, Peñuelas, Tongoy, Los Vilos, Pichidangui, Papudo, Loncura, Puchuncavi, Ritoque, Las Cruces, Santo Domingo, Llallauquen (Rapel reservoir), Llico, Duao, Curanipe, and Playa Blanca in Lota. This initiative marked a shift from the hotel infrastructure 3 Also known as the President Roosevelt Highway (now called Route 5). This project is an interconnected and continuous system of highways linking almost all the countries on the continent, with a total length of more than 18,000 km. It was conceived at the Fifth International Conference of American States in 1923. (Isidora Urrutia, ARQ Magazine 114, August 2023) 4 Also known as Organización Nacional Hotelera Bonfanti S.A., where businessman Egidio Bonfanti was the concessionaire for the hotels in Puerto Varas and Pucón. 5 Law Decree No. 370. 6 Torrent & Faúndez, 2022, pp. 284–285 7 In 1970, the government launched its first 40 measures, notably measure 29, which created 16 public resorts throughout the country. The aim was to provide family vacation infrastructure for thousands of workers, for which the Coordinating Commission for the Public Resort Plan was created (Decree No. 755/1970).
developed by HONSA, as it proposed a different scale and a new approach: democratizing access to tourism and leisure, linking it directly to social welfare policies. In this case, the so-called type A resort, located mainly on the coast, was characterized by inexpensive buildings that provided basic accommodation, hygiene, and food services. In addition, during vacation periods, they offered sociocultural monitors for recreational activities. Paradoxically, much of their relevance and significance lies in the fact that many of these sites were used as detention and torture centers during the dictatorship. One such case was the Rocas de Santo Domingo Detention Center, which functioned as an annex to the clandes- tine detention center that operated in the Tejas Verdes Regiment—the former Hostería Tejas Verdes— as has been confirmed in court rulings according to the file declaring it a Historic Monument and Historic Site, formerly the Detention Center in Balneario Popular Rocas de Santo Do- mingo (declared according to Decree No. 337 of 2015). In short, the trajectory of domestic tourism during much of the 20th century was shaped by the planning, supervision, and execution of a series of hotel infrastructure projects promoted by the state. These were driven by advances in labor regulations, along with the advancement of industrialization policies and the expansion of cities, which complemented connectivity strategies (rail and road). This public boost to tourism and its enabling infrastructure understood the potential of geography, the fiscal commitment to establish basic coverage structures, and the partnership with the private sector as future administrators of these new buildings. This made it necessary to develop a true “service architecture,” understood as a form of land use and an opportunity for economic development (Pérez Oyarzun, 2017). From the initial strategies and subsequent progress, the state's "will" evolved towards the articulation of a more comprehensive tourism policy, in which hotel infrastructure was considered an engine of regional development, a tool for modernization, and, in its final stage, a support for social welfare. ! Mauricio Sánchez Faúndez Architect, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Master's Degree in Architectural Restoration, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Head of the Project Management Department of the Undersecretary of Cultural Heritage. Adjunct Professor at the UC School of Architecture. Daniela Serra Anguita Historian, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Master's and Doctorate in History, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Head of the Department of Heritage Studies and Education of the Undersecretary of Cultural Heritage. Adjunct Instructor at the UC Institute of History. On The Road To The Inn: Infrastructure, Tourism, Landscape, and The Modern Double Strategy in Chiloé By: Pablo Saric Huidobro. Academic, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Master of Science, Columbia University, Master of Architecture, UPC In the second half of the 20th century, Chile underwent an intense pro- cess of modernization that not only transformed its large urban centers but also spread throughout its vast geography. The development of roads, railways, and maritime infrastructure was key to the country's articulation, and architecture became a fundamental vehicle in the transformation of its territory and the construction of a contemporary national identity. In this context, CORFO created Hotelera Nacional S.A. (HONSA) in 1953, a state-owned company dedicated to promoting tourism. It played a key role in constructing and operating a network of buildings in stra- tegic locations, facilitating connections and structuring the territory. Initially, this network was based on large iconic hotels such as those in Antofagasta, Portillo, and Pucón, designed by architect Martín Lira, linked
to the railway infrastructure and, through it, to a new travel experience closely linked to the landscape¹. However, the strategy evolved into a smaller-scale model: Inns.² These buildings were located in places chosen both for their scenic attributes and their strategic location next to new infrastructure. In 1967, AUCA magazine described this change: "In line with the new direction that HONSA has sought for its hotels, contrasting the costly constructions of the past with the small, cozy inns of today”.³ Unlike large hotels, inns were conceived as links in a chain that allowed travelers to tour the country more smoothly and at even lower cost by car. Their size, generally less than 30 rooms, allowed for a more intimate and sensitive adaptation to diverse geographical and cultural contexts. The result was modern architecture that gave them a certain identity rooted in the location, capable of reinterpreting local elements and in- corporating materials from the area. In this way, unique works emerged from north to south, among them were the Hostería de Chañaral by architects Bresciani, Valdés, Castillo, and Huidobro, the Hotel Bucanero in Coquimbo by architect Martín Lira, the Hotel Antumalal in Pucón by architect Jorge Elton, and the emblematic Hosterías de Ancud and Castro, by architect Emilio Duhart From this network of unique works, the Ancud and Castro Inns, designed by Emilio Duhart, emerge as a paradigmatic case study. They reveal a deeply rooted response to the territory, allowing us to analyze the ten- sions between a national network strategy and site-specific architecture. Context and Challenge in Chiloé: The Origin of the Ancud and Castro Inns Due to Chiloé's isolated island status, its population centers were cut off from the mainland for a long time, with connections dependent on steam and sail boats that faced difficult transfers, limiting passenger flow. Both Ancud and Castro were linked to the mainland by separate routes, and the two cities had little contact with each other. In the 1950s, the extension of the Pan-American Highway to Castro, especially the construction of the Pudeto Bridge⁴ crossing the Coipomo estuary, facilitated traffic between Ancud and Chacao, from where the fast-flowing channel was being crossed by rafts and boats to the mainland. The 1960 earthquake destroyed the Pudeto Bridge; its reconstruction took several years, so the crossing had to be made on Navy barges, which extended travel time and led to the emergence of a series of establish- ments that provided accommodation to travelers stranded by countless
setbacks. That same year, the US government donated a ferry named “Alonso de Ercilla,” which began operating in 1964 and made it easier to cross the Chacao Channel, doubling the number of people accessing the island and bringing in more than 7,000 vehicles that year. From that moment on, life in Chiloé underwent a radical change, becoming more modern and cosmopolitan. It was against this backdrop that, in 1961, architect Emilio Duhart (The 1997 National Architecture Prize winner) was commissioned to design the inns in Ancud and Castro. The challenge was considerable: to create two buildings with the same program for the same client in neighboring cities. The key to his proposal was a dual and specific response to each site that he chose: while in Ancud the architecture extended to dialogue with the landscape and maximize visual contact with the ocean, in Castro it folded into a compact volume, carefully considering its impact on the street—a constant concern of the architect⁵– and seeking height to achieve distant views from the rooms. However, these opposing design strategies share common design decisions: both propose an organized and visible structure, and both opt for a clear distinction between the closed volumes of private spaces and the transparency of public areas open to the landscape. This design approach incorporates the topogra- phy to subtly integrate common areas and enhance their spatial quality, extending this attention to the furniture and interior details. Case study 1: The Ancud Inn Located on the northern edge of the city, on a hill overlooking the ocean and the old Spanish fort of San Antonio, the inn adapts to the topogra- phy with stone retaining walls, similar to those of the fort, which draw curved lines across the landscape. The building rests on top of them, with geometric and orthogonal rigor, whose cruciform floor plan and sloping roofs expand to connect each enclosure with the surroundings. The program is organized into four volumes with gabled roofs, artic- ulated by a central space. The entrance, located in the south volume, is through a covered porch that leads to a welcoming hall, where an interior courtyard and a large fireplace welcome visitors and distribute the flow. From this point, you can access the two wings housing the 24 rooms, located in the north and east volumes, whose bodies are subtly staggered to adapt to the terrain's slope. Finally, the west wing houses the spectacular heart of the project: the public area. This last space is the richest. Taking advantage of a steep slope, it is developed on five levels, creating a unique spatiality. Its structure, composed of wooden beams that trace vertical and horizontal lines, supports the floor plans, vertical walls, and sloping ceilings, allowing for large windows and multiple double heights that accentuate its light- ness. Access is from the hall on the third level, where the reception, bar, and living room are located, connected to a terrace. A cylindrical metal fireplace dominates the living room, and a spiral staircase leads to a loft with privileged views. A wide staircase descends to the dining room and another terrace overlooking the ocean. The service areas are located on this same level, connecting the underground levels to the bedrooms. Wood, a traditional material in Chiloé, is used throughout the building: horizontal larch and tepa logs form the walls, while luma pillars support the main structure. The building demonstrates exceptional construction rigor, challenging visitors to engage in a dialogue between modern spa- tial synthesis and respect for culture and location through materiality.⁶ Case study 2: The Castro Inn The Castro Inn was located in a privileged spot, on the corner of Chaca- buco and Thompson streets, on the site that housed the “distinguished 5 David Caralt y Verónica Esparza, "Conciencia de la tradición y proceso creativo: Emilio Duhart y el método comparado como herramienta de proyecto arquitectónico", dearq, n.º 22 (2018): 67. 6 Horacio Torrent, "Madera: materia de la arquitectura moderna", Materia Arquitectura, n.º 15 (2017): 74.
1 Fernando Pérez Oyarzun, Arquitectura en el Chile del siglo XX: Iniciando el nuevo siglo 1890-1930, vol. 1 Santiago: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile/Ediciones ARQ, (2016), 23. 2 Macarena Cortés, Pablo Saric y Anita Puig, “La tipología como instrumento: del gran hotel al motel en Antumalal”, ARQ, no. 96 (2018): 101. 3 Bresciani et al., “Hostería de Chañaral. Honsa”, AUCA: Arquitectura Urbanismo Construcción Arte, no. 10 (1967): 55. 4 Rodolfo Urbina Burgos, “Castro, Castreños y Chilotes 1960-1990”, Valparaíso: Ediciones Universitarias de Valparaíso de la Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, (1996), 15.
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