Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park reopens in downtown El Paso after $78 million renovation
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — One of El Paso’s most iconic buildings reopens today after being closed for nearly three decades.
“This hotel was originally one of Conrad Hilton’s first hotels in his chain. Conrad came in and built this beautiful tower which is just iconic for El Paso,” said Shanon Woodruff, the marketing manager for the Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park.
The Plaza Hotel was built by Conrad Hilton back in 1929 and opened in 1930 as one of the first high-rise hotels he completed.
The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park was purchased by El Paso businessman Paul Foster in 2008 -- since then, it’s been fully restored and remodeled.
Over the past few years, he's invested $78 million into the historic renovation.
“We are a luxury boutique hotel. So, perfection is key for us. We want to make sure that we get all of the details correct,” said Woodruff.
The hotel features 130 rooms, a stunning ballroom, and several high-end restaurants.
‘It’s beauty. It’s elegance. It’s just perfection,” said Woodruff.
Later this year, the hotel will open its rooftop bar and restaurant called La Perla. The area once served as the penthouse suite for the late Elizabeth Taylor, where she lived with her then husband, Nicky Hilton, while she was filming the movie Giant.
The hotel was set to reopen in March, but pushed back its reopening date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Woodruff says the hotel and the entire staff is more than prepared to welcome guests.
“That way they feel comfortable and understand we are being proactive in everything that we do to make sure they feel safe and comfortable in the hotel. It’s about making sure that our guests when they come in -- they have our wellness kit which includes our medical masks, gloves, wipes. Anything that we can do to make our guests feel safe and taken care of, that’s our ultimate goal,” said Woodruff.
They will have a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday at 10 a.m. The hotel will also be hosting a virtual tour at 11 a.m.
“We are going to reopen and show people that El Paso is an amazing city and something that everyone should be able to come see and enjoy,” said Woodruff.
