A Granada Romance: Carrie & Ethan, Friends to Lovers
Hospitality is an industry intertwined with love. It’s the chance encounter in a crowded bar, the table that held a first date (and then a hundred more), the room-for-two rendezvous, and the backdrop for friends and family to gather and celebrate it all. These are the places where moments turn into memories, and memories into milestones.
Over the years, we’ve been lucky to witness countless love stories unfold across our hotels and restaurants. This February, we’re sharing a few that have stayed close to our hearts. Among them is Carrie and Ethan’s—a story of friendship transformed by perfect timing, and a love that found its place in the heart of Granada.
Some love stories simmer slowly, built on years of friendship and perfect timing. Carrie and Ethan’s journey began nearly thirty years ago, but it wasn’t until 2011 that the stars truly aligned.
“For a long time, there was never anything romantic between us. We were just really good friends,” Carrie recalls. “In 2011, Ethan came back after working away, and the timing was suddenly perfect. We started dating, moved in together within six months, got engaged about a year later, and were married six months after that. Everything unfolded at the right moment in both of our lives.”
Carrie and Ethan were regulars at Granada from the very beginning, when it was still just a small bistro & wine bar, and it quickly became the backdrop to their love story. On the hotel’s opening night in 2012, Ethan came prepared with a ring in hand, ready to propose — but the lively atmosphere, full of friends and excitement, led him to wait.
Instead, that moment came just days later, on November 2nd, when Ethan surprised Carrie with a private affair on the upstairs terrace. Working with Kimberly, he arranged a special menu with champagne and chocolates, and even hired a jazz trio to set the tone for the evening.
“I kind of had an idea, but I kept wondering why we were the only ones up there,” Carrie recalls. “When he proposed on that terrace, it instantly became our place.”
The celebration spilled downstairs, where friends awaited at the Bistro bar to join in the joy. From that point on, Granada became woven into every milestone: they stayed there the night before and the night of their wedding, gathered on the terrace after their rehearsal dinner, hosted breakfast there the next morning, and prepared for the big moment in the hotel.
“After I was dressed, I asked everyone to leave [the room] because I wanted a quiet moment to ground myself. I sat alone in my room, looking out the window you see in one of the photos, and for about fifteen minutes, I just stood there reflecting before my dad came to pick me up. It was such a special, calm pause before everything began. Then, as I walked downstairs through the bistro and bar, people started cheering and getting excited. It was overwhelming in the best way.”
Since then, Granada has been the place they return to celebrate their anniversary every May.
“The staff remembers us,” Carrie shares. “They make notes, bring champagne, and make every visit feel personal. It’s those little things that make it so special: it’s meaningful to us, and you can feel that it’s meaningful to them too.”
For Carrie and Ethan, Granada is the cornerstone of their journey together—a place where friendship blossomed into love, and where countless memories have been made. It’s more than just a hotel; it’s a space that holds their story in its walls and welcomes them back like family.
“Granada reminds us what it feels like to be in love. Having one place that carries all of that meaning is incredibly special, and I couldn’t be happier that it’s Granada.”
