General Manager of Haciendas,
Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Starwood Group
www.thehaciendas.com
Duration: 1999 - 2001
The business
Hacienda San Jose and Hacienda Temozan are now operated by the Starwood Group as five star cultural retreats.
Hacienda San Jose was an old plantation once operated on the scale of a small town. We conserved and adapted the property to feature 15 luxury historic guest rooms featuring high ceilings and sprawling beds surrounded by as authentic a look as possible. We also restored an old wedding chapel and adapted the former factory building into a restaurant. We also restored 15 hectares of historic gardens and grounds.
Hacienda Temozan was adapted to recreate the belle époque of the Mexican southeast. The main 16th century building, surrounded by beautiful gardens, was adapted to create 28 air conditioned rooms and suites with exquisite details. Most rooms have the name of the original use, ex: pharmacy, school, pay-house etc. All Suites feature 18-foot ceilings with inside exposed beams and rafters; narrow, 10-foot-high, wooden double doors; massive iron beds and cabinets made of dark, tropical hardwoods; cool tile floors; and large, bulbous pegs set into the stone walls for hanging the woven cotton hammocks, for which Yucatan is famous, to allow our guests sleep in the Mayan Style.
Hacienda Uayamon in Mexico
Room at Hacienda Temozan in Mexico
|
|
Achievements
- Concepting the adaptive reuse of two extensive former haciendas (Mexican plantation) into 5 star cultural retreats that met high yielding US and Mexican target market expectations
- Project directing conservation and adaptation works within budget and timeframe of two years
- Coordination of pre-opening tasks within budget and time allocation (including procurement and establishment of reservations system, sales and marketing and recruitment and training of indigenous staff)
- Establishment of three year forecasting, operational budget management and reporting
- Development of recreation and interpretation activities and partnerships with local tourism operators that received immediate high take-up and increased length of stay
- Successfully introduce an average room rate of US$200 – 400 per room per night between low and high season respectively
|
|
