Lauren Santo Domingo Brought a Stylish Crowd to Colombia to Fete the Four Seasons Cartagena

Lauren Santo Domingo and Mario Carbone.

James D. Kelly

Lauren, who is Moda Operandi’s chief brand officer, was keen to spotlight Colombian designers, too. Guests were invited to stop by Moda’s Four Seasons suite to select looks from Colombian brands—think: Silvia Tcherassi, Mercedes Salazar, CANO, Baobab, and Johanna Ortiz—to wear throughout the weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, Ortiz even hosted an intimate lunch for the clique in her sun-bathed home. Attendees donned her tropical-tinged ready-to-wear to enjoy watermelon margaritas on a rooftop overlooking the city, and the afternoon also provided a fitting opportunity to highlight the new Moda Operandi homeware line. Beneath helpings of posta negra, ceviche, and coconut cake were plates decorated with hand-painted palm trees, monkeys, and jungle cats. Following lunch, Lauren led the crowd on an impromptu walking tour of Cartagena, pointing out her favorite shopping spots along the way—including a whistlestop at Ortiz’s forthcoming store.

But the majority of the weekend’s festivities took place right on the hotel’s storied grounds. The property, located in the mural-splashed Getsemaní district and a few minutes’ walk away from the technicolor walled city, incorporates many chapters of Cartagena’s history. The building’s entryway is the site of the former Club Cartagena, a Beaux-Arts landmark that was once the stomping grounds for local high society.

On Friday night, in the airy lobby with its white marble walls and glass atrium, the international cohort got acquainted over Prosecco. In Mario Carbone’s The Grand Grill, a classic steakhouse dinner of steak and prawn cocktail awaited, with a carrot cake, key lime pie, and chocolate cake triple header for dessert. Afterwards, everyone was lured by the sound of salsa music into Bar Lelarge for a nightcap before scattering around the hotel.

Seymore Flex

The following day, restorative massages in the hotel’s spa, Umari, were followed with relaxing strolls through the enchanting walled city. By nightfall, everyone gathered once again at the base of the Atrio imperial staircase for pre-dinner cocktails. At the bar, Lauren led a group of tequila shot-takers in the Latin American toast, ¡Arriba, abajo, al centro, pa dentro!

A dinner unfolded in the property’s 16th-century cloisters, which house the hotel’s colonial-style rooms. Underneath the courtyard’s four magnificent Banyan trees, dancers from the nonprofit organization Jóvenes Creadores del Chocó performed a tribute to the people of the Chocó region, who suffered a devastating earthquake earlier this summer.

Following a spread from the Four Seasons’ resident chef Julián Palacio Arango that highlighted Colombia’s local seafood—crab in leche de tigre and a bright, fresh whitefish—guests were whisked into the checker-floored Ballroom de la Veracruz for drinks and dancing, with singer Fonseca and, later, the trio Orquesta La Brava, offering all the right tunes for anyone looking to try out their best salsa moves. Meanwhile, those who needed to rest their feet, or simply wanted to chat, sprawled out on benches beneath the hanging roots of the trees until the wee hours.

The after-dinner portion of the evening left everyone wanting for nothing: A resplendent dessert table ran the gamut from berry pavlova to tiramisu, and—of course—trays of colorful Colombian chocolates awaited. And, later, a midnight snack of lobster rolls, hot dogs, and pizzas certainly quashed any late-night cravings. But for those who still had the energy, the Catroux Presidential Suite, with a terrace overlooking the city, became the site of the unofficial late-night party zone. Though many chose to catch a few hours of shut-eye before flights home the following day, others kept the party alive for as long as they could.