Fresh look: The convenience store/deli area at the renovated Fiesta Inn Insurgentes Sur hotel, located in Mexico City. |
BY MARK CHESNUT
The French hotel company Accor has made headlines in the hotel industry with its purchase this week of Grupo Posadas, one of the largest Mexico hotel companies (at a price of U.S.$275 million). Accor will likely be pouring money into the fast-growing mid-priced hotel segment in Mexico. But they’re just following the lead of several existing Mexico hotel brands, which are already leading the pack by providing clean, modern and business-friendly hotel accommodations at value prices. So if you’re looking for cheap prices and a bit of style as well, check out these home-grown Mexico hotel chains.
• Fiesta Inn, which is part of Grupo Posadas, is undergoing a revamp to its image and design, with fresher, contemporary decor, free WiFi and new concepts including Lounge 360, a relaxation area with work desks, books and entertainment options, and La Isla Deli, a 24-hour food service market facility. The brand currently operates renovated properties in Zacatecas, Mexico City (Insurgentes Sur), San Cristobal de las Casas, Puebla and Cancun. Slated next for the new look is the Fiesta Inn Toluca Aeropuerto, near the airport that serves as a hub for low-cost airlines.
• Real Inn is a relatively new hotel brand that belongs to Grupo Real Turismo (a company that also owns the Camino Real and Quinta Real hotel chains). The brand currently has seven properties in business-oriented locations, including Chihuahua, Ciudad Juarez and Torreon. Service and amenities varies by location; the Perinorte location, for example, has a heliport, while the property in Torreon offers free transportation to nearby industrial zones, for groups of up to 12 people.
• Even cheaper is City Express, a chain that offers free continental breakfast, free WiFi, free long-distance calls, plus business centers and meeting rooms. To be honest, City Express is not aiming to make much of a style statement, and it won’t win any design awards — but the prices and locations in business-popular destinations like Mexico City, Aguascalientes, Chihuahua and downtown Cancun make it a reasonable choice for many budget-conscious business travelers.
By the way, Accor’s acquisition of Grupo Posadas includes 15 hotels that will extend its reach even further than Mexico, with properties in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile. So don’t be surprised to see a bit of French flavor showing up at properties in South America — brands including Caesar Park and Caesar Business — as well.
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