1912

A Family Arrives in Chile

Paul y Berta Sahli llegaron desde Suiza a Chile en 1912. Con ellos comenzó una tradición familiar marcada por la hospitalidad, la atención al detalle y una visión europea del servicio.

Black-and-white portrait of a smiling woman and man seated together, with bookshelves behind them.

Berta and Paul Sahli.

Black-and-white photo of a family seated around a dining table, with a man and woman beside three children

1962, Fernando Sahli Natermann and his wife, Magdalena Cruz, with their sons Felipe, founder of The Singular hotels in Santiago and Patagonia; Juan Carlos and Francisco. SOURCE: ACONCAGUA CULTURAL, JUNE 2020

Vintage advertisement for the Savoy Hotel in Santiago, featuring its grand corner building and first-class dining room and restaurant.

FUENTE: DIARIO USACH, OCTUBRE 2024.

1917 - 1932

From Residence to Grand Hotel

Built between 1917 and 1919 as the residence of the Larraín García-Moreno family, the building featured marble, crystal chandeliers and European furnishings. Years later, it was transformed into one of Santiago’s first grand luxury hotels and, after a brief period as Hotel Savoy, became Hotel Crillón.

THE 1930s

Where Santiago Met the World

Hotel Crillón was far more than a place to stay. Its tea room, restaurant, bar and grand salons brought together politicians, business leaders, writers, artists and travellers, while international figures such as Clark Gable, Cantinflas and Dwight D. Eisenhower strengthened its reputation beyond Chile.

Clark Gable en Hotel Crillón

FUENTE: ACONCAGUA CULTURAL, JUNIO 2020

Black-and-white photo of a smiling man in a suit between two women wearing hats and fur coats at an indoor gathering.

People did not go to the Crillón simply to dine or sleep; they went there to belong to Santiago.

Vintage black-and-white illustration of a medieval procession above a French hotel advertisement for Hôtel Crillon

FUENTE: MEMORIACHILENA.CL

1951

A Culinary Legacy

Gastronomy was one of Hotel Crillón’s defining pillars. In 1951, the hotel published Famous Recipes, preserving the culinary tradition that made its restaurant a Santiago institution.

Black-and-white street view of an ornate historic building with arched windows, a grand entrance, and storefronts below.

FUENTE: MEMORIACHILENA.CL

1960 - 1970

Reinventing Tradition

The family renewed the hotel’s offering through weddings, fashion shows, live piano music and social events, adapting its legacy to a changing city.

1960

Hotel Crillón Under the Sahli Family

Fernando and Pablo Sahli, together with their mother Berta Natermann, took over the operation of Hotel Crillón and began a new chapter in its history.

Black-and-white illustration of a group of people in elaborate historical clothing, gathered in a room with a table and furniture.

FUENTE: MEMORIACHILENA.CL

LATE 1960s

The End of an Era

Hotel Crillón closed its doors, but its legacy remained within the family: the art of welcoming, the importance of gastronomy and the belief that a hotel should belong to its city.

That legacy did not close with the hotel. It remained within the family, waiting for the moment to flourish once again.

Aerial view of The Singular Patagonia hotel with red roofs, a waterfront pier, and mountains across the bay.

2011

The Legacy Finds a New Landscape

The family tradition found a new expression in The Singular Patagonia, restoring the former Puerto Bories industrial complex to unite history, place and hospitality.

2014

A Return to Santiago, in Lastarria

More than three decades later, the family tradition returned to the capital with The Singular Santiago. Lastarria was chosen for its history, architecture and cultural life—a neighbourhood where the hotel could become part of the city and open a gateway to a Santiago best discovered on foot.

Woman in a teal jacket walks past an old stone wall with a small barred window.

TODAY

Not to Recreate the Past, but to Continue It

Hotel Crillón and The Singular Santiago belong to different eras, yet share the same understanding of hospitality: personal attention, restraint, belonging and connection to the city.

Elegant dark wood-paneled library with a writing desk, bookshelves, tall windows, and a warmly lit adjoining room.

I did not want to recreate the past, but to continue it.