The latest hotel from Grupo Habita is an 'under-designed' reinvention of the design hotel with witty references to Mexico's cultural and industrial traditions used throughout.
Scooping the prestigious 2006 Travel + Leisure Design Award for 'Best Small Hotel' within a year of opening, Basico has certainly made an impression on industry experts and the media alike.
Found in the heart of Mexico's Playa del Carmen, a burgeoning upmarket party town located on the Yucatan's Caribbean coast, Hotel Basico is the fourth creation of Grupo Habita. Comprising the Micha brothers and Carlos Couturier, these hoteliers are the innovative minds behind Habita and Condesa df in Mexico City and Deseo, another serious design contender in Playa del Carmen. "Each of our properties is unique and reflects current trends in the hospitality industry," says Rafael Micha, Managing Partner of Grupo Habita. "Our first approach to Playa five years ago was Deseo, with its trendy South Beach vibe. Basico is all about reinterpreting Mexico through an original design formula that swings clear of the 'stucco and palapa' stereotype."
Drawing on much of the same team that developed Deseo, Grupo Habita selected Moises Ison and Jose Antonio Sanchez of Central de Arquitectura and Hector Galvan of interior design firm Omelette to work on its creative vision for Basico. As the group's first ground-up property - the others have involved renovations and adaptations of existing structures - Basico presented a blank canvas for all those involved. The original brief challenged the design team to evoke a feeling of real Mexico through references to local culture and industry while redefining the notions of what hotel luxury could be. So, how successfully have these themes been realised?
From the moment that guests step into the open-air, street-level entrance just off Playa's buzzing 5th Avenue, it's clear the typical design hotel experience is going to be wittily revised. A 50-feet-high ceiling towers above the reception desk, which doubles as a juice bar or 'Jugueria' during the day and the main bar during the evening. Guests pick up their room keys, learn about the local area and order cocktails all from the same bartender.
Standing back from reception provides a revealing glimpse of the stripped-down, transparent cube building that has been constructed from a concrete, cement and sand mix to house the hotel's 15 rooms. Moving inside, a sense of the Mexican petroleum industry is conveyed by the rubber tyre flooring and the creaky freight elevator that takes guests up to the first and second floors, on which the 13 bedrooms and two suites are arranged.
Hector Galvan has cleverly utilised recycled materials, ironwork, exposed pipes, barely-varnished wood, plastic and even 1,207 kilograms of latex to promote a utilitarian aesthetic. The overall effect could be imposing but splashes of colour, planting and ambient lighting lift the mood and act as a complement to the rawness. Traditional Mexican patios are mimicked through the use of white-washed walls, red tiling and paved stone floors in the public spaces while the shaded first-floor restaurant, with its open kitchen, resembles a local cantina.
Micha believes that these aspects of architecture and design are essential to the success of the hotel. "Basico is a destination, not just a hotel," he explains. "We've created a counter culture here - the property is just so under-designed."
It is in the bedrooms, though, that guests get a taste of Basico's sense of humour. An unusually high white bed is the focus of every room. Designed as a multi-use facility, the bed features integrated drawers, desk space, minibar and safety deposit box. Not just functional, the bed also hides guest amenities underneath, including flippers and floating tyres, all of which act as a reminder that the beach is a few blocks way. 'Live' images of Playa's beaches are streamed into the rooms so that guests can view the Caribbean Sea and sunbathers on their televisions.
White concrete walls, tile floors recycled from a local factory, wicker-covered doors, latex blinds and plumbing on show ensure that the industrial-chic theme is carried through to the bedrooms. The inclusion of flat-screen TVs, air-conditioning and luxurious bedding provide the comfort and features that would be expected by the hotel's target audience: young, hip and savvy travellers from Mexico and abroad.
Privacy, however, may arise as an issue among those guests who prefer separate bathrooms. At Basico, the shower, sink and stand-alone bathtub share the main bedroom space, with only the toilet hidden behind a door. While the rooms aren't overly spacious, their designs ensure that the bathing facilities don't impose but instead add another quirky dimension to the guest experience.
As with the Deseo and Habita, it is on the rooftop terrace with its views of the sea that the design team has striven to showcase the best of Grupo Habita's creative concept. Two eye-catching red petroleum water tanks act as the hotel's pools - more suited to cooling off than swimming - while white cabanas customised from the back of trucks have built-in mattresses, perfect for lounging. Hammocks and simple chairs add to the relaxed atmosphere during the day while, in the evenings, local DJs, film projections and a stunningly lit bar bring the roof to life.
With such an emphasis on design, it might be expected that other aspects of the hotel's operation play a secondary role but Basico's service proves just as effective. Casual yet efficient, bartenders remember the names and favourite drinks of their guests and share their tips on local restaurants, bars, shops and clubs.
Most importantly, Basico succeeds in its mission to establish a sense of place This is not just another identity-less contemporary design hotel. Basico's design captures gritty elements of Mexican culture and industry and allows the hotel experience to be playfully reinvented in glamorous yet down-to-earth surroundings.
