La Concha Renaissance San Juan Resort: American Standard Provides Elegant Solutions

When La Concha first opened its doors in 1958, it became a Puerto Rican icon of a new architectural style. While modernism, with its hallmark being a focus on form rather than ornament, had already been established as a design movement, La Concha helped usher in “tropical modernism.” This new twist added a respect for island culture and context to a classic idea. After more than $300 million in renovations and new additions, La Concha is — now more than ever — the embodiment of island style.

La Concha’s unique look starts in the lobby, where features of the tropical climate create the hotel’s ambience. Open to the outdoors, palm trees thrive in sunlight filtering down through the glass atrium atop the lobby, allowing for natural illumination and creating visions of warm, breezy days to be spent at the Condado oceanfront, one of Puerto Rico’s top beaches. Taking the island motif even further, La Concha’s landmark structure is Perla, a giant clamshell-shaped restaurant. It sits pristinely in an infinity pool just outside the hotel in another nod to Puerto Rico’s seaside culture.

With water in abundance all around La Concha, it’s difficult to imagine that water is a major problem confronting the hotel. Specifically, water pressure. “La Concha was faced with the challenge of unusually low water pressure for a hotel,” said Enrique Jaen, owner of ProLine Sales, who oversaw the supply of plumbing materials to the resort. “They had to choose fixtures and faucets that provided top of the line performance in those conditions.” American Standard and GROHE – iconic kitchen and bath brands of LIXIL Americas – offered solutions that fit the bill perfectly for La Concha’s 483 luxury guest rooms and 226 upscale suites.

The shower is one place where water pressure is vital, and the showers at La Concha deliver. Featuring the GROHE RAINSHOWER overhead fixed showerhead, combined with a convenient wall-mounted GROHE hand shower, guests have the choice of deep relaxing or intensely invigorating options for water intensity with a selection of four spray patterns on both units. The American Standard oval Evolution bathtub is featured in select suites, showcasing a comfortable molded backrest and lumbar support for a cleansing soak after a day of sun and surf.

For the toilets in the resort’s guest rooms, using American Standard Champion toilets was never a question for management at La Concha. “They were so impressed with what Champion could do — with the huge flush capacity — that they asked for Champion by name,” said Jaen. Indeed, Champion’s ability to flush a 70% larger mass drastically reduces clogs and maintenance calls, avoiding the cost of unused rooms due to non-operational toilets. In addition, cleanliness and less maintenance are major benefits offered by the Champion line, with seamless one-piece construction and a brand-exclusive EverClean finish that inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew on the surface.

Visually, perhaps the most dramatic bathroom feature is the American Standard Loft above counter sink. This vessel-style sink echoes the hotel’s stylistic theme with sleek lines and a striking, angular shape that immediately stands out from the black marble countertop. GROHE sink faucets add to the look, drawing the eye with the unique parallel placement of a single handle over the spout. The innovative GROHE StarLight chrome finish promises a permanent shine despite heavy use in this popular resort destination.

As for how visitors and locals feel about La Concha, Jaen said, “I have regional sales managers for other brands that will only stay at La Concha. It’s one of the hottest hotels in town. Everyone wants to stay at La Concha.”

La Concha is located on the picturesque Condado oceanfront in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The white structure visible near the back of the hotel is Perla, the clamshell shaped restaurant that is a hallmark of the property.

The hotel’s open lobby is topped by a glass atrium, allowing sunlight to become a natural design element that highlights the tropical feel, accented by palm trees and island breezes. 

La Concha offers 438 guest rooms (pictured here) and 226 suites. All are decorated to fit the hotel’s theme of tropical modernism, with bathrooms featuring American Standard and GROHE faucets and fixtures that beautifully highlight the décor.

The spacious bathrooms at La Concha include large marble and wood vanities with space for guests to store their supplies. Glass doors on the shower make the space feel even larger. 

The American Standard Loft above counter vessel style sink offers a focal point on the vanity, topped off by a GROHE single-handle faucet featuring innovative GROHE SilkMove technology that provides effortless control of water flow and temperature.

The GROHE RAINSHOWER overhead showerhead and wall-mounted hand shower both feature brand-exclusive GROHE DreamSpray technology, which allows users to select from four spray patterns.

American Standard Champion elongated one-piece toilets are unrivaled when it comes to flush capacity, with the ability to flush a 70% larger mass to virtually prevent clogging. Its EverClean finish also helps to inhibit the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew on the surface.

Bathroom elements from American Standard and GROHE blend seamlessly to provide a cohesive, sleek look that provides a spa-like oasis in each guestroom.

Champion®, Loft®, and EverClean® are registered trademarks of American Standard Brands.
GROHE DreamSpray®, GROHE SilkMove® and GROHE StarLight® are registered trademarks of GROHE AG.
RAINSHOWER™ is a trademark of GROHE AG.