Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is set to manage a beachfront resort with branded residences on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. The resort is expected to open in 2028 on the Yucatan Peninsula and has been designed to respect the diversity of the environment and reflect local culture. The company partnered with developer GIM Desarrollos on the project and with Mexican artist Bosco Sodi as the art curator.
The property is within a 30-minute drive from Cancun Airport and 10 minutes from Playa del Carmen’s downtown. The beachfront resort is part of Kanai, a 680-acre masterplanned gated community with several other luxury hotels. As part of a plan to preserve the local ecosystem, only 9 percent of the land is dedicated to buildings and roads.
Mandarin Oriental Kanai, Riviera Maya will have 120 guestrooms and suites with private pools. The accommodations will encourage indoor-outdoor living with natural materials like marble, wood, leather and locally woven fabrics. Fifty branded residences, with access to a private resident-only beach club, will also be part of the overall offering.
Architecture and Design
Mexico City-based architectural firm Migdal Arquitectos designed the space to blend in with the environment, with inspiration from Mayan architecture. Designed by the New York-based William Gray, a new luxury division from studio Meyer Davis, the resort interiors will have a curated collection of art and design. The grounds are landscaped by Maat Handasa. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental and Beach Club will have special design elements by Esrawe Studio.
Bosco Sodi will serve as art curator and design consultant. Sodi’s approach—embracing the Japanese 'Wabi Sabi' philosophy, which finds beauty in imperfections and the signs of age—merges with Mayan traditions and contemporary aesthetics.
The resort will have three outdoor pools while the beach club will offer water sports. The property also will have a Kid’s Club. The all-inclusive Spa at Mandarin Oriental will have an indoor lap pool and outdoor spa trail experiences.
Food and Beverage
The resort will have several dining options, serving international cuisines in specialty restaurants in addition to regional fare with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients. A beach club, café and pool bar will also provide all-day dining.
The resort is being developed by GIM Desarrollos, real estate developers with operations throughout the region. “We are thrilled to bring this exceptional luxury hospitality experience to Riviera Maya, offering guests an unparalleled connection to the rich cultural heritage of the region,” Abraham Metta Cohen, a partner with the firm, said in a statement. “Enhancing the guest experience by integrating environmental awareness and cultural richness is extremely important to us and to Mandarin Oriental and we are delighted to be partnering with them and to bringing the brand’s renowned levels of luxury hospitality to this unique resort.”