His scruffy look and gentle demeanor is a far cry from the loud and aggressive vibe of the hotel. “We wanted people to know that Mexico too is proposing new and fresh ideas,” said Alejandro Alarcon Fierro, Reina Roja’s young architect. Each room is decorated with elements that purposely imitate natural beauty, such as neon panoramic beach scenes and walls textured with hay. It is owned and operated by the Alarcon family from Mexico City, who wanted to offer Mexicans and foreigners a more updated and sensorial Mexico. The experimental boutique hotel opened just a few months ago. It is also pushing the Mexican city to re-examine its own identity, as hotels evoking colonial Mexico battle with provocative locations like Reina Roja in an effort to set the tone for Playa's future growth. It inspires strong feelings of awe, interest and disgust - all at once.Ī mannequin dressed in a shiny gold leotard greets guests at one entrance to Reina Roja Hotel. (One boutique hotel, In Fashion, uses post-modern architectural lines in its completely white structure and adopts an artsy take on IKEA for its inside decor.)Ĭamoflouged under Reina Roja's party ambience and racy sexual innuendos are pre-Columbian elements that give the hotel a fetishistic, sadomasochist feel. “This place is making me ill,” replied another, “I’m leaving.”Ī mix of urban jungle, red-light district and elegant symmetry, Reina Roja Hotel is the newest and most radical addition to the growing trend of modern, theme-based hotels in Playa del Carmen, the popular beach town along Mexico’s Mayan Riviera.Ĭozy, quaint and quickly multiplying, boutique hotels are trying for a more personalized and authentic Mexico experience compared to the soaring skyscrapers of neighboring Cancun. “Wow, this is intense,” said one tourist, yelling over dance beats. Nearby, guests sipped drinks by the indoor pool, silhouetted by the red lighting. PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico - The mannequin wore a spiky collar and black leather leotard, sitting wide-legged inside a metal cage.
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