MEXICO CITY—Hospitality interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) completed the Hilton Mexico City Santa Fe Hotel, delivering a new brand identity for Hilton Hotels & Resorts in its debut project for the global hotel chain.
Located in the Santa Fe financial hub, the 260-room hotel is located in the new SAMARA complex, within close proximity to major corporations, including Ericsson, Chrysler, Sony, IBM and Bancomer Convention Center. This marks the first of two projects HBA will complete in Mexico, the second being a renovation of St. Regis Mexico City, which will open later this summer.
The Hilton Mexico City Santa Fe Hotel features one restaurant, a lobby bar and a rooftop pool and bar. HBA worked with local artisans to incorporate touches rooted in Mexican culture to help create an authentic sense of place. The rooftop bar and pool takes cues from a cruise ship deck and features an herb garden.
HBA was charged with giving the hotel brand a new look, a departure from consumer expectations with a more-contemporary approach and edgier design scheme. HBA’s design take on the interior is underscored with contrast and juxtaposition, straight lines give away to organic forms and natural materials and textures recall its heritage and traditions.
“Mexico City wears many faces. Evolving over generations, it has been built and rebuilt in the likeness of each successive civilization,” stated Senior Designer Brooke Copani of HBA San Francisco. “I often liken it to Berlin, another metropolitan hub, where layer by layer, each new incarnation of the city has been laid upon the last. The resulting landscape is a monument to great diversity, rich in textures and contrasts. In the district of Santa Fe, we see this pattern unfolding again in real time as the borough redefines itself as a sophisticated and contemporary economic epicenter. It’s with respect to this context that we impose a sleek, contemporary overlay. Exploring the connections between the radiance of light and the depth of shadow, we celebrate the places where they meet to reveal one another.”
In the lobby, strong geometries favor balance over symmetry in the lounge area, according to the company. With a nod to more classical ideals, this lounge space offers a fireplace. Anchoring the lounge space is the lobby bar, featuring two-story sliding panels that transform the space from day to evening. Mirrored screens slide open in the afternoon to reveal a wine and liquor display and a view to the garden. Fine finishes and patterns are part of the bar and wood planks float overhead. Wood, ceramic and stone enhance the look.
The adjacent dining area of the hotel’s signature restaurant, Madera, features a wood-burning oven and serves modern American cuisine with a focus on sustainable and local ingredients.