It was one of those journeys: long, crowded flights, frustrating lines at customs and interminable rush hour traffic on the way to the hotel. Yes, I was thrilled to be back in one of my favorite cities, eager to visit museum and restaurants, but work loomed, and I was beyond tired.
Fortunately, the bellman and front desk clerk at NH Collection Mexico City Reforma were cheerfully efficient, and the sight of my enormous, brightly lit room brought immediate relief.
Within minutes, I had plugged in my laptop on the long, uncluttered desk and begun charging my phone and camera battery at a series of outlets and USB ports on a nearby wall. I spotted another cluster of charging stations beside the bed, along with hanging reading lamps. My usual complaints about hotel room lighting and outlets were resolved without any effort on my part, and my mood improved considerably. After a dash under the powerful rain shower and a quick power nap, I was ready to explore this promising new hotel.
Last October, NH Hotel Group officially celebrated the launch of its premium brand, NH Collection, in the Americas with the inauguration of NH Collection Mexico City Reforma. The company currently operates 12 hotels with more than 2,000 rooms in Mexico, including six NH Collection hotels in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
At first glance, the NH Collection hotels seemed designed for business travelers, and I delighted in the desk and lighting every time work demanded attention. But I found my room to be well-suited for leisure, too. Two comfy wing chairs faced a wall-length window overlooking the pool deck and tree-lined streets. A flat-screen television was mounted on the wall across from the bed. The minimalist red, white and gray decor shunned typical hotel wall art and carpeting in favor of a ceiling-high leather headrest, gray drapes and bleached wood floors. The overall effect was clean and calming.
A bountiful breakfast buffet gave me energy for most of the day, and the pool and well-equipped fitness center kept the calories under control. Room rates start at around $250 per night on weekdays but fall as low as $100 per night on weekends — a real bargain for the city.
The hotel’s location in the heart of the Zona Rosa neighborhood is perfect for excursions around town, with most major attractions a 15-minute cab ride away (depending on the city’s notorious traffic jams). The artsy, gay-friendly neighborhood — home to an annual gay-pride parade — is packed with great restaurants, including Fonda el Refugio, which serves authentic Mexican cuisine right across the street from the hotel.
I was pleased to find a gorgeous silver necklace at the Mercado Insurgentes indoor market, also called Mercado Zona Rosa, just a block away. And there were enough nightlife options within a few blocks to keep any reveler happy. The hotel sits at the edge of the Juarez neighborhood, a burgeoning hip enclave with galleries and more nightlife, and within the shadow of the fashionable Four Seasons and St. Regis hotels.
The Details
NH Collection Mexico City Reformawww.nh-hotels.com
