Ahead of the Curve: SB Architects Continues to Expand Portfolio in Mexico Amidst Booming Hospitality Sector

Global Architecture Firm Introduces New Projects as Mexico Continues to Offer Great Potential and Opportunities for the Industry

Mexico’s prosperous hospitality sector offers great opportunities for architecture and design industries.

As the most developed hospitality market in Central and Latin America, the country is ideal for tourism due to its coveted location and accessibility in the Americas, robust macroeconomic profile, favorable trade policies, modern infrastructure, and rich cultural heritage and natural wonders (JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group’s Hotel Investment Outlook for 2021). The country is currently seeing incredible growth in its hospitality sector, with 139 new hotels, including 33,137 rooms, currently underway across the country (the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database).

SB Architects, an international architecture firm renowned for creating award-winning design solutions tailored to the distinctive heritage and character of each location, recognizes Mexico as a promising market. Having worked in the country for over a decade, the firm has an extensive portfolio of projects in the country and several new projects underway.

“We are honored for the opportunity to work and create in a country experiencing such remarkable growth and transformation,” said SB Architects President and Principal, Scott Lee. “In every project, we make it a priority to design in harmony with the site and integrate the fabric of the local community. By taking inspiration from the regional vernacular, materials, and long-standing cultures and traditions, we create thoughtful design solutions that serve and sustain diverse communities and allow users to authentically connect to their destination.”

Mexico’s tourism sector has seen incredible recovery and expansion amid the COVID pandemic.

An example is in Los Cabos, Mexico, where SB Architects is currently designing The St. Regis Hotel and Park Hyatt Residences. The region has experienced a remarkable 100 percent recovery of its travel and tourism activity since the pandemic’s onset (The Los Cabos Tourism Board). Both properties are part of a luxury 1,850-acre community in the heart of Quivira. This coveted location – marked by sheer granite cliffs, huge windswept dunes and rolling desert foothills – effortlessly connects guests with nature, self, and time.

The St. Regis Los Cabos at Quivira, slated to open late 2023, stays true to the vibrant culture of Los Cabos and Mexico. The hotel will be filled with curated art, locally sourced glass work, and textiles, as well as a contrast in tone, texture, shade, and shadow with pops of color.

The Park Hyatt Los Cabos at Quivira residences take inspiration from the locale with a contemporary spin, leveraging rough, organic materials, to create texture and movement. The exclusive villas line the beachfront, providing direct beach access and expansive views up the coast and across the mountain.

Set among the lush mangrove jungles and ancient ruins along the Mayan coastline overlooking the azure waters of the Caribbean, the Hilton and Waldorf Astoria in Cancun will delight the senses. Combining Yucatán sensibilities with an ambiance of stylish sophistication, both hotels were designed with the goals of enhancing the natural beauty of the site and optimizing the guest experience. Marrying the incredible landscape with striking architecture, SB Architects’ design responds to the site’s natural conditions, creating a continual interaction between indoor and outdoor space. An oasis that guides guests on an exclusive journey of cultural immersion, classic Mexican materials are blended to great effect with modern technology.

SB Architects transformed Conrad Punta de Mita, a destination resort opened in September 2020in Litibu on the Riviera Nayarit, by building upon existing structures to create a modern design that highlights and enhances the natural beauty of the locale while putting guests in touch with the area’s rich, multi-cultural identity. Designed as a portal into the landscape, history and rich multi-cultural identity of the region, the 324-room hotel is designed to offer respite from the fast pace of Mexico City and immersion in the world-class destination known as Mexico’s ‘Pacific Treasure.’ Regionally sourced stone and a muted color palette complement white contemporary architecture that showcases rather than overtakes the landscape. Honoring Huichol religious symbolism, tradition and decorative art became an integral part of the creative design process, incorporating indigenous mandala patterns across the resort’s landscape, interiors, and décor.

Set on a prominent five-acre beachfront site in a premier tourist destination, Sofitel SO Los Cabos cascades gently down to the white sandy beaches below, providing unobstructed Pacific Ocean views. Inspired by the vibrant history of Mexican haciendas and the central role of family gathering spaces, the resort embraces bold, contemporary architectural features with vivid interior hues, paying homage to the authentic Zócalo (community spaces) experience. The SO brand is the epitome of sophisticated modern French aesthetic which, when combined with the beautifully rich Mexican culture, creates a unique and inviting experience.

Nestled into the sand dunes along the breathtaking coastline and idyllic seclusion near the charming colonial town of San José del Cabo, TLEE Spas designed Spa Alkemia at Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, a wellness destination that celebrates nature’s bounty and the warmth, soul, and gracious hospitality of Mexico. Thoughtfully designed with nature in mind, Spa Alkemia leans into the property’s prized waterfront location – where the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean intersect against the backdrop of the Sierra de la Laguna mountains – instilling a sense of well-being through the primal power of the ocean and the desert landscape and blending the artisanal heritage of Mexico with the latest trends, technology, and timeless healing modalities.

About SB Architects 

Having recently celebrated its 60th anniversary, SB Architects has established an international reputation for design solutions shaped by the subtleties of the site. The firm has extended its leadership in hospitality, residential and mixed-use in thirty countries and across four continents, with a collaborative culture and dynamic team of passionate individuals driving the firm’s legacy and ongoing evolution. Since its beginnings in custom residential in 1960, SB Architects has prioritized staying true to the site and creating a strong sense of place that resonates with visitors, guests and residents on an emotional level. As it continues strategic expansion and its portfolio reflects even greater geographic diversity, the firm will leverage its entrepreneurial spirit and architectural craft to thoughtfully connect people to each other and to iconic experiences of a signature place. 

SB Architects’ site-specific, hyper-localized design has resulted in legacy projects such as Calistoga Ranch, an Auberge Resort that immerses guests in the natural rhythms and solace of nature; Santana Row, a mixed-use project that fosters discovery and a meaningful sense of community in San Jose; and Fisher Island, an exclusive island resort community that was honored with an AIA Miami Test of Time Award and has enlisted SB Architects as its primary designer for over 39 years. For more information about SB Architects and the world-wide reputation for excellence it has built in the planning and design of projects across the globe, click here. 

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