Hotel Condesa DF brings style, art to capital city's hotel scene

MEXICO CITY -- When you turn to channel 84 on the flat-screen television in any of the guest rooms at the Hotel Condesa DF, you may see something a bit odd. A crumbled shell of a building. Piles of bricks. Exposed pipes. All in a continuous, hypnotic, video loop.

It took me a while to figure out that this was actually a video of the Condesa DF itself, before it was renovated.

The average hotel doesnt devote an entire channel to show off what a mess it was before opening. But this is no average hotel -- its Mexico Citys newest boutique property, which opened in January as a Design Hotels affiliate following more than a years worth of work on a 1928 apartment building.

That video is going to change, said Manon Turbide, general manager of the 40-room hotel, of what is actually an off-beat art piece by local artist Silvia Gruner. The owners have always been attached to the art scene in Mexico. Were always going to have art on that channel.

Indeed, the video is but one of many creative elements that have made this property into one of the hottest new spots in the city, both for hotel guests and people just looking for a cool place for dinner or drinks.

Located in Condesa, one of the citys upscale neighborhoods, the hotel is surrounded by quiet, tree-lined streets and plenty of cafes and restaurants just a few blocks away.

Its no surprise that the Condesa DF is run by the same owners as the chic Hotel Habita, which was Mexico Citys first boutique property when it opened in 2000.

But the Condesa DF takes style and design in a slightly different direction: While the Habita is known for its muted tones and sleek lines, the Condesa DF mixes a classic building design and a minimalist sensibility with offbeat details like dark wood, turquoise walls and cowhide upholstery in the public areas.

The group of creative minds behind the hotel is like an international whos who list: Javier Sanchez of Mexico City oversaw the architectural design of the restored building, and India Mahdavi of Paris designed/directed the interiors and created the furniture. The hotels graphics and image were conceived by Ich & Kar of Paris, with original artwork created by Betsabee Romero of Mexico City.

Once visitors pass beyond the classic lines of the buildings exterior, they find themselves surrounded by turquoise walls, accented by custom-designed walnut and mahogany furniture, centered around an open-air restaurant in the central, wedge-shaped courtyard.

Jonathan Morr, the New York restaurateur who conceived popular spots such as BondSt in Manhattan and Miami, developed the menu for the hotels two restaurants. Meanwhile, Mahdavi worked with one of the Condesas owners, Carlos Couturier, to create the white ceramic tableware (which can also be bought in the gift shop).

Off to one side of the restaurant is the Culture Room, centered around a large, round table, with walls lined with oversized art and photography books focusing on Mexico.

Next door is the gift shop, which stocks original gifts, clothing and accessories from Mexican designers, plus Malin+Goetz personal-care products, which are also featured in the guest rooms.

In the basement is a dark, cavernous area that on weekend days serves as a movie theater and by night converts to a hip dance club.

On the roof is a sushi bar; a terrace with tables and banquettes; a small, open-air exercise area and massage room as well as a Turkish sauna and a green-tiled outdoor therme pool.

Guest rooms are designed in a similar fashion. The suites are bright and airy, with terraces and clawed bathtubs held over from the buildings earlier incarnation as a residential apartment building. All guest rooms feature DVD players, flat-screen TVs and iPods (in fact, all the music for the entire hotel is programmed by iPod).

To contact reporter Mark Chesnut, send e-mail [email protected].

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For more details on this article, see Mexico City spruces itself up to welcome an influx of guests.