Nobu Hotels announced last month the opening of a new hotel in the central San Francisco square, in Seville. Nobu Hotels was founded by actor Robert de Niro, film producer Meir Teper, and chef Nobu Matsuhisa. The luxury hotel will open in three buildings that are being refurbished, and located at numbers 11 and 12 of the San Francisco square and 36 of Alvarez Quintero street. They are being turned into a five-star hotel with 27 rooms, spa, gym, cafeteria and restaurant.
Management of Nobu Hotels noted that the city in southern Spain is famous for its charming traditional Sevillian architecture, cobblestone streets, fiery flamenco dancing, pioneering tapas bars and the distinctive orange blossom aroma that permeates the entire city, Seville is the perfect addition to Nobu Hotel’s growing portfolio. In addition to attracting top Spanish clients and discerning international travelers, the city hosts the famous Feria de Abril, a colorful celebration that takes place after Easter, when the streets come alive for a week of festivities.
The pandemic was a difficult period for the American actor. He and Grace Hightower, with whom he had lived for the past 21 years and with whom he had two children, decided to get a divorce. The Nobu group lost three million dollars in just one month, and forced the various shareholders to make up for the losses by injecting several hundred thousand dollars to keep the project alive. Fortunately, they managed to turn the situation around as a new Nobu Hotel was opened in Marrakech.
An unexpected discovery took place during the refurbishing of the three buildings in San Francisco square: a part of the Roman wall became visible. The structure, which was originally between 8 and 10 meters high and 3.25 meters wide, plus a base of 1.50 by 1.70 meters, was found after excavating to a maximum depth of 5.5 meters from the level of the San Francisco square. It is located in the rear party wall of the house that currently forms the number 11 of the square. The Roman wall will be integrated into the hotel courtyard.
The concept of Nobu Hotels is a curated experience where each property is different. There are currently have 16 hotels worldwide, and management plans to open 19 more in the near future.
