The Alvear Palace Hotel is situated in the most elegant neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, La Recoleta. It is an area of extensive parks, wide avenues, and luxurious architecture in a classical style, where the best restaurants, cafes, antique shops and boutiques of Buenos Aires, are to be found. Some of the main museums and cultural centres are close by, and the financial area is only five minutes away. Originally built as a luxury hotel to accommodate the increasing amount of European visitors arriving in Buenos Aires at the time, the Alvear Palace was transformed in 1932 into a model of the highest expression of refinement. The majestic rooms and suites, as well as the lobby and public areas, are reminiscent of the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles, which are evident in the furniture, the crystal chandeliers, walls decorated with gold leaf and works of art of famous artists.