San Miguel de Allende is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its well-preserved 17 and 18 … [+]
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Habitas started with a resort in the popular resort town of Tulum, in Mexico’s Riviera Maya on the Yucatan Peninsula (south of Cancun), in 2016. Since then, the group has rapidly expanded globally with properties now open. in the Hudson Valley in New York, Namibia, Saudi Arabia. Arabia (two), Morocco, a second location in the Yucatan, and has several more openings under construction, including another location in Morocco, Bhutan, Costa Rica, and Los Cabos, Mexico.
But the big news is San Miguel de Allende, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Mexico, famous for its Baroque and Neoclassical architecture, with a historic center filled with well-preserved 17th and 18th-century buildings. A thriving arts culture has helped make it a popular expat community, and this is where the newest Habitas will open in a few days, in time for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The complex is only ten minutes from the historic center, but secluded in a natural area, with a shuttle service included in the room rates.
Habitats builds its resorts in its own factory in a modular way, minimizing environmental impact. … [+]
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The Habitas brand has quickly developed a loyal following, especially among Millennials, and is often described as a “disruptor” that is “shaking up” or “changing the paradigm” in the hospitality industry. But that wasn’t the goal, according to founder Oliver Ripley, an entrepreneur and philanthropist (and also founder of investment company Ocean Group) who simply created his hotels with the image that he personally wanted a hotel to be, more communal and social. . . That’s why Habitas calls all of its properties “Casas” instead of “Resorts,” even though the lodging is almost exclusively in stand-alone units, not a main house layout.
The company line is that “Habitas’ mission is to change people’s lives by creating deeper human connections and to have a lasting impact in local communities through education, employment and the creation of sustainable micro-economies.” “.
The Habitas brand features a great list of free daily activity programming included throughout … [+]
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From a guest perspective, that means each Habitas home encourages guests to socialize with one another through the physical design of “social architecture” and activity programming. The former focuses heavily on common spaces, the complete opposite of recent trends in luxury accommodations that have moved toward more privacy and seclusion from other travelers. This ethos extends to soup kitchens, activities like group yoga classes, and a HR focus on staffing with locals who are encouraged to be themselves, sharing information and telling stories, rather than a service focus. trained uniform, one that can border on robotics at certain levels of luxury travel.
Extensive programming is a big part of the Habitas model, and all “Homes” offer guests a free daily programming schedule centered on six pillars: arts and culture, wellness, adventure, learning, food and beverage, and music. For Habitas San Miguel de Allende, this will include yoga classes, holotropic breathwork and sound baths, live music sessions, painting classes, visits to local artisan workshops and learning the textile art of macramé. Optional local activities not included to highlight are hot air ballooning, horse riding and mountain biking.
There are also optional local activities not included, from hot air balloon rides to horseback riding. … [+]
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In San Miguel, other key features include a “Club de Playa”, even though it is far from any coastline. The original Tulum location has one, and this one is an homage to that, with a sandy beach on a freshwater lagoon and natural hot springs too. In keeping with the brand’s ethos, House’s flagship restaurant is called Comunidad, a farm-to-table cuisine focused on locally grown ingredients and wood-fire cooking techniques inspired by local indigenous Otomi culture, with menus that include Mexican and international dishes. kitchen. A second restaurant will open at the beach club in the spring of 2023, and the first quarter of 2023 is also scheduled to open a Habitas Spa, including a Temazcal, a traditional sweat lodge. San Miguel has also become a very popular location for destination weddings, and the property has an indoor/outdoor event center, La Troje, for these, as well as corporate retreats.
“We are excited to open our third property in Mexico, especially in the historic city of San Miguel de Allende, a rich cultural destination that closely aligns with our Habitas ethos,” said CEO and co-founder Oliver Ripley. “Habitas San Miguel is the perfect intersection between nature and culture, an experience that is synchronized with the creative pulse of San Miguel de Allende and its vibrant art, cuisine, music and cinema.”
Locally sourced produce connects farm-to-table dining with a sense of place.
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In survey after survey, leisure travelers today say that environmental and sustainable practices play an increasing role in their travel decisions, and another key part of the Habitas model is both environmental sustainability and support for the local community. The brand is committed to meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2023, and has its own factory in Mexico where new houses are pre-built in a modular way using sustainable materials and methods and minimizing the impact on the sites where they are located. the resorts. . This also allows for the majority of accommodations to be in self-contained units, and in San Miguel, there are 60 self-contained casitas, all with king beds, walk-in showers, air-conditioning, outdoor terraces, and exclusively organic amenities from the Quintana Roo region of the Yucatan. . where Habitas has its design factory in Mérida.
The brand also has an extensive waste management program to maximize recycling and composting, emits carbon offsets and contains no single-use plastics – unusual for the environment – and as such has been awarded the Oceanic Champion badge. . Habitas RISE is the philanthropic arm of the company, a global impact initiative focused on empowering local communities, cultures and conservation efforts. This manifests itself in a number of ways, creating economic and educational opportunities for locals, creating micro-economies, creating jobs, and working closely with communities to address social and environmental issues. In San Miguel the big problem is the depletion of water from the Laja River.
Interior of one of the 60 rooms in San Miguel de Allende.
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I haven’t personally stayed at a Habitas property, but like almost everyone else in the hospitality industry, I’ve been watching closely as the brand’s innovative approach continues to resonate and attract new customers. It has also been extremely smart in its selection of emerging hotspots. I recently wrote here about how little Bhutan is suddenly the “next big thing” on the world leisure travel scene, Morocco is also trending upwards, and all of these Mexico, Los Cabos, Yucatan, and San Miguel locations are already popular and growing. But while Bhutan, Morocco, and the rest of Mexico are seeing plenty of new openings, San Miguel de Allende in particular has been in need of more upscale lodging options, and this seems to be the case of the perfect place at the perfect time.
Source: news.google.com