Cornerstone has launched its Hotel Matilda-themed collection of lifestyle-focused boutique hotels with the opening of chic and edgy Hotel Cacao in Playa del Carmen.
The Lobby
Hotel Cacao’s guests are being immersed in a kicked-back, relaxed “Hippie Chic” lifestyle of sophisticated accommodations and cutting-edge dining and mixology experiences. Located on Playa del Carmen’s famous 5th Avenue, the 60-room property is located in the heart of the destination’s fashionable scene of restaurants, clubs and boutiques.
The team that created the internationally heralded ‘Matilda lifestyle’ guest experience at Hotel Matilda in San Miguel de Allende founded Cornerstone in 2013. The hotel management and development company is building a ‘Hotel Matilda Lifestyle Collection’ of boutique properties in strategic locations throughout Mexico. The second hotel will open in 2015 in the San Angel district of Mexico City.
Architect Rodrigo de la Peña has imbued the property with dramatic architectural elements such as huge canvas accents in geometric shapes and a central court with a hyacinth lily pond. The interior design is clean and contemporary with bold color accents.
Guest room
The spacious, modern rooms and suites offer every contemporary amenity, including bathroom amenities by Italian fashion designer Missoni.
The roof-top bar features innovative “coctelería” (mixology) experiences blended with spectacular views of the Caribbean and Cozumel Island.
Hotel Cacao’s restaurant, Nibs, is a serene, mouthwatering escape from the bustling dining scene on 5th Avenue. Nibs has a strong connection with Hotel Matilda: At the helm is Chef Alejandro Cuatepotzo, a protégé of Enrique Olvera who was chef de cuisine at Hotel Matilda’s Moxi restaurant. Olvera, who is Mexico’s most famous chef, operates Moxi.
Nibs’ menu taps the fresh, indigenous ingredients of the region and reinvents favorite Mexican seafood and meat dishes, such as ceviches with coconut and lime, scallops with lime pearls, lobster with green mango, shrimp burritos, tuna and beef tartare, salt-baked red snapper, conch fritters, and prime flat-iron carne asada. The area’s tropical ambience is re-imagined indoors with guests dining amid an original jungle mural by international street artist Eduardo Kobra (pictured right), a flowing water wall, and banana and passion fruit plants. In stark contrast to the colorful tropical atmosphere, Namuh-designed walnut tables and chairs with Italian carrera marbletops are accented by simple white linens and china. The restaurant’s name reinforces the chocolate theme of Hotel Cacao: Nibs are unsweetened chocolate chips, created when cacao beans are crushed in the chocolate-making process.
Quirky, fun art in strategic interior locations, including brightly painted VW Bugs, are by Tommy Hilfiger. An after-hours-style bar downstairs has a sexy bordello look. The shops and restaurants on the street level of the building include Maíz de Mar, a marisquería (seafood restaurant) by Chef Olvera.
Since opening in fall 2010, Hotel Matilda has forged an international image for its sophisticated ‘Matilda lifestyle’ guest experience. Under the day-to-day direction of Managing Partner Bruce James, Cornerstone is now creating a distinctive hospitality brand based on the concept behind Hotel Matilda, the company’s flagship property.
“At art-and-culture-themed Hotel Matilda, we elevated hospitality to the level of an innovative work of art where guests are immersed in edgy luxury and cultural experiences,” explained Mr. James. “While each hotel will have a distinctive individual personality, it is the shared Hotel Matilda lifestyle that defines the Cornerstone collection.”
Experiences that have molded the Matilda Lifestyle, and that are incorporated in the guest experience at Hotel Cacao, include:
– Rooms and suites with designer appointments and amenities.
– Dramatic works of art installed at key locations that define the interior spaces.
– World-class, innovative cuisine making the hotel a culinary destination.
– One-of-a-kind artistic and culinary events, from exhibits by major artists and art festivals to extravagant gourmet evenings with guest chefs.
– A popular lounge known for its creative mixology.
San Miguel de Allende-based Cornerstone plans to expand through a combination of acquisitions, management contracts such as Hotel Cacao, partnerships and new developments. The company was founded by Mr. James, who shaped the Matilda lifestyle as the hotel’s director, and Harold “Spook” Stream III, the developer and owner of Hotel Matilda.
