An Icon Turns 20

Faena Buenos Aires, an epitome of luxury and cultural fusion, marks its 20th anniversary as a testament to Alan Faena’s visionary entrepreneurship and his ability to create transformative spaces.

The inception of Faena’s grand vision can be traced back to his home and rose garden in Punta del Este, Uruguay, affectionately nicknamed ‘Tierra Santa,’ or sacred ground. “Tierra Santa was a special place, a curative place, a place of energy and hope, of freedom and healing,” said Faena. Spending two years cultivating his rose garden gave him the time and inspiration to dream up new realities. He wanted to create a place that would offer the same peace, refuge, and growth that Tierra Santa had given him.

“To invite people into a version of my home, my living room, my garden, on a scale that would accommodate them, I realized that this building would have to be a hotel. No ordinary hotel, of course—this would be a feast, a dance, a cultural center, a revolution of ideas and images, a place of profound betterment,” Faena explained. Drawing from mythic and historical origins, Faena’s notion of a hotel was more connected to ancient temples and castles, where travelers gathered for protection, food, company, song, performance, enlightenment, and the sharing of stories.

Faena envisaged a hotel that would serve as a living, breathing work of art that encompassed all his passions: design, culture, technology, art, architecture, food, dance, music, and meaning. “The only capital I had was my heart and freedom of mind,” he said. In the late 1990s, Faena set his eyes on the derelict docklands of Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires, where El Porteño, an abandoned turn-of-the-century grain storage facility hewn from durable brick, still stood among the wasteland.

With the support of investors Chris Burch, Len Blavatnik, Austin Hearst, and Robert Burch, Faena was able to acquire the building, and his vision began to take shape. “Len especially responded to my project of community building and urban renewal.” Faena also convinced acclaimed designer Philippe Starck to collaborate on the project. “I told Philippe, we cannot make New York in Buenos Aires. We need to convey the identity of this city. We need to bring back the old, romantic Buenos Aires of yore, its Belle Époque.” Faena shunned the contemporary white-box aesthetic that pervaded luxury hotels of the day, which turned their backs on local customs and culture in an attempt to appear global and cosmopolitan. “I wanted to let the past invade the future—to marry these opposites in harmony,” he explained.

The project was a success from the very first day, with all eighty-four resident units sold before construction was even finished. Faena Buenos Aires went on to become a magnet for international celebrities, rock stars, artists, thinkers, and politicians. It received an onslaught of raves and awards, cementing its place as a cultural and social landmark. Twenty years later, the hotel continues to serve as a vibrant cultural and social hub, embodying the spirit of Buenos Aires and Faena’s unwavering commitment to creating transformative spaces defined by artistic innovation and beauty.