Las Torres Patagonia has been part of the region's history since the early 20th century. Our journey has been defined by our commitment to adapt to change, respect the land, and let sustainability, family, and tradition guide our path.
Along the way, Antonio Kusanovic Senkovic became a real pioneer in the region. Driven by a desire to provide for his family, his vision led him to create what would become Hotel Las Torres. Not just a hotel, but a resounding call to the world to come and discover Torres del Paine.
January of this year marks 100 years since the birth of Antonio, who founded the hotel together with his wife, Amor Eliana Marusic. This blog explores his life, work, and legacy in Torres del Paine National Park.
In the early 1900s, a young Croat left his home to build a new life in this corner of the world, changing the history of the Kusanovic family forever. In Magallanes, he worked in livestock farming and, through hard work and determination, made Chile his new home.
By the 1960s, Antonio Kusanovic Senkovic, the son of this intrepid Croat, carried on the Kusanovic family legacy in Patagonia with his vision and hard work. He worked on his father's land and kept his family's dream and intrepid spirit alive.
He introduced new breeds of cattle from Australia, which he personally selected, making Cerro Negro one of the most innovative ranches in the region.
Antonio grew the family's business in Patagonia through hard work, investment, and a goal to keep expanding the reach of Chilean livestock farming. He introduced new machinery and brought much of his family into the project.
Cerro Negro Ranch preserves the family's tradition and legacy in the region to this day. Guests in our all-inclusive programs who arrive from Punta Arenas can visit the ranch and see what life was like for Antonio and his family in the last century.
Antonio was not alone. At his side was his lifelong companion: Amor Eliana.
Those who knew Amor say she was a sweet and charming woman who had the same determination and drive as her husband. Both embraced hard work like a religion and were committed to innovating, building, and defending their legacy.
By the 1970s, Antonio, already having four children with Amor, had earned a reputation as a pragmatic rancher with an appetite for risk. These traits made him open to new ideas, even though some more conservative folks thought Antonio was crazy.
His children were always part of the business, and to this day, several of them remain closely involved with the family company. Even his grandchildren play an important role in their grandfather's vision. No one could have imagined how far that vision would take them.
By 1979, the family business had hit a new level of success. It was an opportunity to take a chance on something new.
This new chapter would be written on land located near what was then Torres del Paine National Park, before its expansion. It was a remote and rugged stretch of land. Although the views were stunning and the natural surroundings breathtaking, the roads were poor, the winters relentless, and infrastructure minimal.
Everyone thought Antonio was out of his mind. They raised concerns about the distance to the nearest towns and the lack of bridges and suppliers of goods. The land was Cerro Paine Ranch.
For those who did not understand the thinking behind Antonio's decisions, the purchase of these plots of land was a logistical nightmare. For him, it was a dream.
At the start of the 1980s, an economic crisis triggered inflation, devalued the Chilean peso, and an avalanche of debt swept away what many entrepreneurs of the time had built.
Antonio's cattle ranch was barely able to keep up with the land payments. The days dragged on, options dwindled, time passed, and he decided to call his daughter Liliana to tell her his decision.
Some might have thought that selling was the best choice, but Antonio was unwilling to abandon the land he had worked for decades and wake up from the dream he was living. “You said I should start a new business, so I'm going to build a hotel,” he said on the phone to his daughter, who was studying for an MBA in the United States at the time.
The reaction was swift. Liliana knew that her father didn't know much about tourism. He had spent his entire life working the land, raising animals, and building fences to withstand harsh winds, and now he wanted to put his energy into hospitality and adventure.
In the 1990s, after selling the Mina Rica ranch to pay off his debts to the bank, Antonio decided to build a 9-room inn and restaurant, which would eventually evolve into Hotel Las Torres.
Amor was always by Antonio's side. She was the family's unsung pillar, the star that guided their way home on the darkest nights, and the one who held their hand on the most challenging stretches of this road.
Amor, as her name suggests, became the heart of the project. She championed hospitality, kept traditions alive, and held the family together through the ups and downs of the business.
Antonio didn't know much about this new world, but he firmly believed it was the right path to follow. Guided by his family's advice and supported by their efforts, the project grew year after year. They expanded the inn into a hotel, built mountain stays, set up campsites, and made a commitment to sustainability.
Although Antonio did not live to see the project fully realized, passing away just five years after embarking on this journey, his family continued his legacy. His wife, four children, and ten grandchildren continue to keep his dream alive to this day.
Today, on what would have been Antonio Kusanovic Senkovic's 100th birthday, we celebrate his life, toast his determination, and remember the path that has led us to this moment.
If you would like to learn more about this project and fall in love with the land that captivated Antonio Kusanovic Senkovic, we invite you to visit his creation at Hotel Las Torres, be our guest, and write your own story in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park.