Need a lesson in how to go from fusty to fabulous? Take notes from Four Seasons Hotel Mexico, D.F.
The Mexico City property invested $14 million in a 14-month renovation to completely overhaul its look. Redesigned to attract younger guests (and keep regulars, too), the 20-year-old hotel has revamped nearly all of its elements — from rooms and restaurants to the exterior facade and a lobby that now pops with bright, bold orange and red accents.
When checking in, clients can’t help but notice the enormous, orange and red wraparound mural behind the reception desk. From there, small salons with glass doors branch off from the lobby hallway. Meant to be hangout spots, they feature fireplaces, Mexican art, comfy couches and communal-style tables. We saw several young business types working on their laptops, meeting over cappuccinos and chatting on their cellphones in these spaces.
Upstairs, all 240 rooms and suites sport a new look, created by cutting-edge French designers Gilles & Boissier. (We stayed at the end of October 2015, when the last few rooms were being completed.) Most rooms face the hotel’s interior, central courtyard and have windows that open for fresh air. The decor is crisp, fresh and clean, with ivory-colored walls and drapes. A particularly eye-catching piece is the long bar lamp that hangs from thick ropes over the writing desk. Burgundy swirls and brushstrokes add bursts of color to the cream carpet.
We enjoyed breakfast in the large courtyard, now leafy and lush with new gardens. If we hadn’t been so full, we would have sampled some of the French confections baked fresh each morning in Pan Dulce, the new pastry shop at one end of the lobby.
For dinner one evening, we tried the hotel’s new Il Becco Italian restaurant, part of the high-end Becco group of restaurants in Mexico. Everything was top-notch, from the ricotta-cheese-stuffed zucchini flowers to the artichoke and pistachio risotto. Clients will also be pleased with the extensive Italian wine list.
Except for a teeny hiccup at one busy breakfast, we found the service excellent. We even received a personal knock on our door one morning when we didn’t pick up our wake-up call. And the knowledgeable concierge staff handed out bottled water to take with us when leaving the hotel each day.
There’s also a small outdoor pool surrounded by plants — a welcome place to relax after a day of touring Mexico City’s historical sights. And if any male clients need a haircut, they can pop into the new English-style barbershop.
Set on Paseo De La Reforma, Four Seasons is a 10-minute walk to the famed National Museum of Anthropology, and it’s also close to the posh Polanco district, which features art museums and stylish shops.
The Details
Four Seasons Hotel Mexico, D.F.www.fourseasons.com
