The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai marks the luxury hotel brand’s Mexico debut.
Set on 620 acres of a nature reserve on the Yucatan Peninsula is EDITION’s latest hotel. Located in the heart of Riviera Maya, the lush, sprawling grounds include lagoons and mangroves as well as two miles of a pristine white-sand beach. Created by hospitality master Ian Schrager (of Studio 54 fame, among other ventures), EDITION hotels span the world. However, the Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai marks the Marriott International boutique brand’s first foray into Mexico.
“The hotel sits in an area of the Riviera renowned for ancient Mayan cities, tropical beaches, crystal clear cenotes, and the Mesoamerican Reef—the world’s largest coral reef,” says Josh Fluhr, Senior Vice President and Global Managing Director at EDITION Hotels. Among the 182 guest rooms there are 30 suites and the hotel’s crown jewel: its Sky Rooftop Villa, the largest hotel penthouse in North America.
The 27,000-square-foot mega-suite is not just the largest in North America, but also the largest that EDITION has ever created, notes Fluhr. While the goal of the hotel is to invoke a feeling of “laidback luxury” on the Caribbean coast, the massive penthouse is more over-the-top than “laidback.” Fluhr shares that the Sky Villa features unmatched ocean views through floor-to-ceiling glass windows on three sides, a mid-Olympic-size outdoor infinity pool, an expansive entertainment deck, a catering kitchen, guest kitchen, and five apartment-like suites, each with its own plunge pools, jacuzzi, and private terraces.
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“It’s perfect for large groups of friends or families wanting a multi-generational vacation,” he says. “We’ve really fused indoor/outdoor living; the Sky Rooftop Villa can be fully opened to the outdoors and includes a sunken garden lounge at the end of the pool. All of the villa’s outdoor spaces have more than 180-degree views of the ocean, the mangroves, and the surrounding topography. Plus, the outdoor raised private pool has an infinity edge creating the amazing ambient sound of a waterfall as it spills over one side,” he adds of the rooftop pool that makes the penthouse look like it’s floating on water.
Bringing EDITION’s sleek, contemporary aesthetic to the jungles of the Riviera Maya was no easy feat. During construction the hotel was hyper-focused on minimizing the environmental impact. Housed within the newly developed Kanai complex, the gated community is just half an hour from the Cancun Airport and 10 minutes from Playa del Carmen’s bustling Downtown scene. Other properties within the gates include The St. Regis Kanai Resort and Etéreo, an Auberge Resort. The developed Kanai land comprises less than 10% of the reserve, which centers on preserving the surrounding red mangroves and protecting the land through sustainability practices. It’s a nature-lovers paradise with rainforest trees and tropical plants, plus flora and fauna, including spider monkeys, raccoons, iguanas, white-nosed coatis, and hundreds of bird species. There’s also flourishing marine life, such as protected sea turtles, which are flourishing under Kanai’s conservation program, which to date has maintained 12 nests, each with approximately 120 eggs.
The Riviera Maya EDITION was designed by the Ian Schrager Company in collaboration with architecture and design firm Rockwell Group—who they also partnered with for the New York EDITION hotel—and architecture by Edmonds International for the three main buildings that converge together like a cenote (an ancient sinkhole), or a massive yoga dome made of bamboo and designed by Eduardo Neira (known for his stunning architecture of his Tulum hotel Azulik). Weaving through nature, beneath the structure is the subterranean spa lounge next to the fitness center.
“The whole spa experience, similar to the hotel, fuses indoor and outdoor living experiences,” says Fluhr. Find hydrotherapy pools, a private outdoor spa pool, an infrared capsule room, six indoor-outdoor treatment suites, and even a Turkish hammam.
With two main pools, including an oversized lagoon-like swimming pool that sits right behind the open-air lobby with floating cabanas, and another that is at the SO’OL beach club. The second infinity pool offers guests unparalleled ocean views. The beach club also has a private pier with ten lounge-style cabanas with direct access to the ocean and a relaxation “net” suspended over the Caribbean Sea.
As for the beach itself, “I’m biased, but to me, it is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever had the privilege of walking on. It is a wide, almost sugar-like, white sand beach with palm trees, hammocks, and chaise lounges perfect for lounging. EDITION has one kilometer of dedicated beachfront, which is perfect for swimming and water sports activities,” shares Fluhr.
As for what Fluhr is most looking forward to with the hotel’s opening?
“There’s so much, but I think our food and beverage offering is tremendous. We have two restaurants both helmed by world-renowned Mexican chefs—Francisco ‘Paco’ Ruano and Tomás Bermúdez — both of which were honored at Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 ceremony [for their respective restaurants, Guadalajara’s Alcalde and Mexico City’s La Docena]. To have EDITION bring two of Mexico’s best chefs together at the same hotel and add them to the brand’s already robust culinary portfolio is something I’m very proud of,” he says. Chef Ruano is at the helm of the hotel’s signature restaurant KI’IS, with a tasting menu featuring a modern Mexican dining experience using regional flavors and local ingredients. There’s also The Kitchen at EDITION which will be an all-day concept that he will oversee with classic Mexican cuisine as well as ceviche and a Yucatan street food-style cochinita (pork) stew.
The more casual SO’OL beachfront restaurant has chef Bermudez at the reins with a focus on seafood—similar to a European beach club with Mexican influences. Adjacent to the lobby, where there’s a dedicated bar (a signature element of EDITION hotels), the pool bar will also offer guests health-conscious plates in a more relaxed atmosphere. The hotel also has a ballroom nestled in the middle of the tropical plants that could accommodate up to 450 guests.
Culture was also an important aspect when deciding whether to open a property in Mexico.
“We always want our hotels to be in places that have something special to celebrate, and from the remarkable cuisine to the deep Mayan history and the abundance of nature around us, it is the perfect place for EDITION,” says Fluhr. The expansion into Mexico, however, was more than seven years in the making. “For us, it’s always about finding the right location at the right time, we’ve always had our sights set on Mexico, and we’re hoping this is just the first in the region.”
To get the cultural aspect right, each EDITION property has a Director of Culture and Entertainment to ensure that each property has “curated special moments important to their location and being sensitive to local honors and traditions,” he adds. Touch points include highlighting the country’s cuisine by the hotel’s two celebrated Mexican chefs, in-room materials that use embroidery and patterns from the Yucatan Peninsula to ensure that local culture is represented, Mayan sculptures and vessels showcased behind the lobby bar, and even the black-and-white photo display featuring 80 authentic images taken from film strips by renowned Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. There’s even a dedicated shaman for guests to be able to experience a traditional Mayan blessing.
Setting their sights on building a luxury property in the middle of a rainforest and topping it off with the continent’s largest hotel penthouse suite was no small task, but the brand is just getting started. As for expanding further into Mexico and adding to the existing 18 global EDITION hotels, Fluhr admits that due to the destination’s popularity with U.S. travelers, they are constantly looking for new opportunities.
“We’re hoping to be able to make an announcement on another project soon,” he reveals. “Stay tuned!”