Hotel Quito by Sercotel
by the TopOfHotel team
Hotel Quito by Sercotel is a 1960s Art Deco icon on the González Suárez ridge that trades on huge Guápulo-valley and Cayambe views, with a rooftop restaurant and a heated pool in Quito's cool mountain air.
Hotel Quito by Sercotel is a 1960s Art Deco icon on the González Suárez ridge that trades on huge Guápulo-valley and Cayambe views, with a rooftop restaurant and a heated pool in Quito's cool mountain air.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Picture Av. González Suárez running along the ridge on Quito's eastern edge — old residential blocks on one side, the green Guápulo Valley opening out to the Andes on the other. At the point where the view is best on that whole road sits Hotel Quito by Sercotel, a historic building that opened in the 1960s and became one of the city's landmark works of modernism. Parents' generation here remember it as the luxury hotel of its day — the place for big events and the check-in for business travelers flying into Ecuador. It's now run by Sercotel, a Spanish hotel group that has cleaned it up and modernized it while deliberately keeping the original Art Deco feel: a wide, high-ceilinged lobby, a beautiful curving staircase, warm brown leather sofas, and big windows that frame the valley like a painting. Walk in and it feels like stepping into the era when Quito was still a small city slowly building toward the modern — an atmosphere you won't find in the newer 5-star towers around town.
Food and amenities
The heart of a stay here is two spaces — the outdoor pool and the rooftop restaurant. The pool sits on the valley-side terrace, ringed by trees and sun loungers, with a clear view straight onto the bright green Guápulo Valley. What makes it special is that it's heated — very rare in Quito, where the air stays cool all year, around 10-20°C — so you can actually swim early in the morning or after sunset. The top floor is Techo del Mundo, a restaurant and bar whose name translates literally to "Roof of the World," and it lives up to it: from the west-facing windows you watch Quito spill down into the valley, the sun slipping behind the horizon, and orange light hitting the roofs of the old churches — a scene more than one review calls "like a film." On clear days you can also see Cayambe, the 5,790m mountain that's the only glacier peak in the world sitting right on the equator, standing as a white shadow behind the city. The Techo del Mundo menu leans on contemporary Ecuadorian food, and it's a cocktail bar locals like to drop into for an evening glass of wine — grab a window seat and have your phone ready.
Location and getting there
The location is the one thing to get straight before booking. Av. González Suárez isn't a city-center street packed with restaurants and nightlife like La Mariscal or the Old Town — it's a ridge road known for views and quiet. Across the road from the hotel is El Mirador de Guápulo, a popular Quito viewpoint where tourists and locals sit to watch the sunset. Walk about 15 minutes down a small road and you reach Santuario de Guápulo, a 17th-century church tucked into the valley. The neighborhood feel is mid-to-upper-end Quito apartments, stylish cafés, and boutique restaurants hidden down small lanes. For the main sights, a taxi or Uber gets you to the Quicentro mall and the La Carolina area in about 10 minutes, the UNESCO Old Town (Centro Histórico) in about 15-20 minutes, and the newer Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO) out at Tababela in 45-60 minutes — for that one, the hotel car or an Uber is the safer bet.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk to help you decide. The biggest thing to weigh is location: if you plan to walk the Old Town every day, or want to eat in La Mariscal at night, you'll be taking a taxi every time — it's not comfortably walkable. If you like a hotel where you step outside straight into shops and restaurants, this may not be your pick. The second is the age of the building — Sercotel has restored it, but at 60-plus years old some room details still show it, and a number of reviews flag bathrooms with original tiles and retro-style taps that weren't all swapped out; if you expect a fully modern, brand-new room, you may be let down. Last is Wi-Fi, which several reviews say connects but runs slow in some corners, especially upper rooms at the back of the building — if you're on calls or working online all day, head down to the lobby or lobby bar instead. That said, these limits are part of the charm of a historic hotel; if you can live with them and value the view, the atmosphere, and the building's story over a spotless new finish, you'll love it here.
Our take
After reading through hundreds of real guest reviews, Hotel Quito by Sercotel fits best for travelers who value the view, the atmosphere, and the story over a brand-new room. If your mental picture of the trip is waking up to open the curtains onto the green Guápulo Valley and the shadow of Cayambe, swimming in the heated pool facing the valley, then closing the day with a glass of wine at Techo del Mundo watching the sun set over Quito — this is hard to match anywhere else. Couples and solo travelers who like a quiet area with design that tells a story should love it. But if you mean to walk the Old Town every day and want to step out into La Mariscal on foot, this location may not work as well as a hotel in Mariscal itself. Overall we give it 8.2/10 — a Quito icon that sells the view and the legend, worth trading for a couple of taxi rides into town a day.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The spot on Av. González Suárez, right next to El Mirador de Guápulo, looks across the Guápulo Valley toward 5,790m Cayambe on clear days — one of the best views on the whole ridge.
- It's a 1960s modernist building that many locals remember as an icon of Quito, now restored under Spain's Sercotel brand while keeping the original Art Deco feel — wide high-ceilinged lobby, a curving staircase, and big windows that frame the valley.
- The outdoor pool is heated, which is rare in a city that stays cool all year (around 10-20°C), so you can actually swim even in the early morning or after sunset.
- The top-floor Techo del Mundo restaurant looks over the city and mountains; reviews single out the sunsets and say it's quieter than restaurants down in town.
- The Guápulo / González Suárez area is one of Quito's calm pockets, away from the bustle of La Mariscal, yet still about 10 minutes by taxi from the main sights.
- It sits about 15-20 minutes by taxi from the Old Town (Centro Histórico), the heart of Quito, and you can't walk there — budget for transport and leave extra time for evening traffic.
- The building is more than 60 years old, and some reviews note that rooms and bathrooms still show their age, like original floor tiles and retro-style taps that weren't all replaced.
- Wi-Fi is weak in some corners — several reviews suggest working in the lobby or on the lower floors instead, especially if you're in an upper room at the back of the building.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Quito
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Insider Tips
- Ask for a "Valley View" room on the Guápulo side, without fail — street-side rooms catch the noise from Av. González Suárez and miss the mountains.
- Walk across the road to El Mirador de Guápulo in the late afternoon before sunset, then come back for a glass of wine at Techo del Mundo — that's the best of this neighborhood.
- Quito sits at 2,850m, so the thin air may give you a headache the first day or two; take it slow, drink plenty of water, and try the coca tea the hotel serves free in the lobby.