During my most recent press trip, I spent one night at the Fiesta Americana Viaducto Aeropuerto, a luxurious Mexico City hotel that’s the newest in the Fiesta Americana chain. As such, it offers what could be considered a peek into the future of Fiesta Americana as a brand, with lots of high-tech elements, sleek design and pandemic protocols that are also unique for the brand. (You can check out the video hotel tour that I made here or by scrolling to the end of this review.)
Unlike most new hotels, the Fiesta Americana Viaducto has had two openings in the course of just a few months. That’s because of the coronavirus pandemic. First opened in November 2019, the Fiesta Americana Viaducto had to shut its doors on April 1 and then reopened on July 1, 2020, with even more high-tech features that are designed to make travel safer.
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Here are some of the most noteworthy features at the Fiesta Americana Viaducto.
HOTEL DESIGN: The 260-room Fiesta Americana Viaducto Aeropuerto is a handsome, modern property, set in a mixed-use complex that includes office towers and a shopping/retail center. You’ll know you’ve arrived at a luxurious, high-tech hotel as soon as you take the elevator up to the lobby, where a giant video screen lines one wall of the seating area, which is furnished with futuristic, backless couches.
The hotel, in fact, has a bunch of interesting features that are a first for the Fiesta Americana brand, including:
• An automated temperature kiosk, rather than the usual temperature “guns.” The kiosk looks cooler and is more fun to use, as you step up and see your own face while getting your temperature read. (This should be introduced in all Fiesta Americana properties by the end of the year, according to a spokesperson.)
• Check-in kiosks, which allow guests to minimize their contact with other people while checking in safely and even activating their own room cards.
• The giant lobby screen, which can be used for customized presentations — including meetings, conferences, business events and weddings.
• A 24-hour co-working space; located on the floor above the lobby and conveniently adjacent to a Starbucks, the space is amply sized with lots of different types of work areas, including desks, lounge chairs and even a small meeting room with a table.
• This is also the first Fiesta Americana hotel with “fully automated” guest rooms, including remote control window curtains (a personal favorite of mine; nothing better than lying back and opening the curtains when you wake up).
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HYGIENE PROTOCOL: The Fiesta Americana Viaducto plays close attention to protocols designed to protect hotel guests and staff. In addition to the very cool temperature-taking kiosks and check-in stations, there is a shoe cleaning mat in front of each elevator in the lobby, and hand sanitizer is readily available throughout the hotel. Like all Fiesta Americana hotels, the Viaducto property provides each guest with a hygiene safety kit that includes a small bottle of hand sanitizer, a disposable mask and sanitizing wipes. The on-site restaurant as a menu that can be read by scanning a QR code on the placemats at each table, so that you don’t have to touch any additional materials. Masks are required of guests and staff in all public areas, except when seated for eating or drinking.
HOTEL ROOMS: We stayed in a beautiful master suite at the Fiesta Americana Viaducto, which was graced with dark, masculine tones and two large televisions — one in the living area and one in the sleeping area; dividing these areas was an especially stylish perforated wood wall, which opened in two spots. The well-planned bathroom featured a separate water closet with its own sink that opened into the living area as well as the main bathroom, which had two sinks and a large marble shower with Bigelow bath products.
HOTEL AMENITIES: I loved the swanky lobby bar lounge area, but the biggest highlight of our visit was dinner at Canarios, a Spanish-influenced restaurant that features a beautiful outdoor terrace with a large bar and interesting seating options. We savored a delicious dinner while sitting in a private cabana, which — like the rest of the hotel — is so high tech that it has a speaker and bluetooth feature so we could have listened to our own music if we’d wanted (but we didn’t because we liked the music they were playing). Every course — including grilled octopus, beef tacos, plantain bread — was delicious; my favorite was the tres chiles sauce, made with vinegar, olive oil and three types of chile powders.
The Fiesta Americana Viaducto is conveniently close to the Mexico City airport (about 10 minutes by free shuttle), and also close to a sports complex called Palacio de los Deportes, a racetrack called the Autodromo and Foro Sol, an entertainment and event venue.
BEST FOR: This Mexico City hotel is ideal for anyone looking to be a few minutes from the airport, plus business travelers, meetings and leisure travelers attending events at the nearby sports and entertainment venues.