HISTORY OF THE INN OF THE FIVE GRACES

In the marvelous old city of Santa Fe, Ira and Sylvia Seret, internationally-known importers and creators of unique and exotic architectural elements, rugs, furnishings and antiques, decided to take an ancient, dilapidated collection of buildings and create a hotel. The Inn of the Five Graces was originally known as Seret's 1001 Nights. The 24-suite hotel opened in 1996, and from the beginning the Inn was a magical and fanciful retreat, furnished with near-eastern treasures and antiques that the Serets brought back from their travels. Sylvia Seret designed the fabulous mosaic tile-work for the suites' kitchens and bathrooms. The Garrett Hotel Group managed and transformed the service of the hotel from 2002 to 2009, and, in honor of the inn's exotic, sensuous, luxurious atmosphere and its many Afghan and Tibetan artifacts, chose a name that referenced the five "graces" of Tibetan culture - sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. The Garrett Hotel Group expanded upon the original vision of theýproperty by building upon the service, cuisine and accommodations at The Inn of the Five Graces, to create a truly world-class hotel. January 2010, the Serets again became the operators of the hotel. Having worked closely with the Garrett Hotel Group over the past several years, they look forward to continuing and building upon the Inn's spirit of service and excellence. With an ever developing, yet signature style, the Serets' continue to expand on the overall vision and visual experience of the Inn, by adding their latest in design elements and collection pieces throughout.
SANTA FE AND THE INN OF THE FIVE GRACES Santa Fe is an ancient city by American standards. Five hundred years before the arrival of the Spanish in 1540 there were Pueblo villages here, 7,000 feet above sea level. Tiny houses and large buildings alike were constructed of a durable mixture of mud and straw called adobe. The city - the oldest state capital in the country - was wrought with battles between the Conquistadors and Pueblo Indians for control of the area. Three hundred years later, New Mexico became a United States Territory in 1846, and a state in 1912. Robust trade began by way of the Santa Fe Trail; and the fresh clear air and dry climate brought many people seeking a cure for tuberculosis. The Inn of the Five Graces anchors the historic, 17th century Barrio de Analco, or Quarter "Across the Water" in the language of the Mexican Tlaxcalpa Indians, who came to Santa Fe in 1598 with the Spanish. This is the oldest inhabited block in the United States. Across Old Santa Fe Trail from the hotel is the San Miguel Mission, the oldest church in the United States, and next to it, the oldest house. The extensive, multi-cultural history of Santa Fe - textured with varying religion, language and art - make the city fascinating, vibrant and beautiful today. Colonial Spanish and indigenous Indian architecture mix along the streets; words from lost languages reverberate in municipal names. It is a city leavened by the great spirituality of its past, and the many spas, churches and shamans of Santa Fe are each, in their own way, modern re-tellings of an old, old story.