Atelier de Hoteles and CEO Oliver Reinhart Bring a Different Focus to Mexican Hospitality

When Oliver Reinhart took over as CEO of the innovative Atelier de Hoteles brand of properties, he brought with him an extensive background in technology and personalized guest services, as well as a robust resumé of top positions in several tourism firms and hotels.

It’s an influence that permeates definitively throughout this Mexican-owned company, which seeks to reinterpret not only the traditional model of hospitality but the oftentimes narrow view of what’s traditionally been known as “Mexican.”

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What sets Atelier de Hoteles apart from other hotel brands?

“[At Atelier de Hoteles] we live by four pillars, four main columns, and we structure everything we do within these columns.

One of these is what we call “handcrafted hospitality,” or hospitalidad hecha a mano. What that means is adding a personal touch to everything we do: in the rooms, in housekeeping, in food and beverage, everything has to have a personal touch.

In this respect, I also want to explain that our concept is based on contemporary Mexican arts design and arts—and I say it in plural because we don’t just focus on paintings but on everything art related. Our idea to show Mexico to everyone who stays with us but not in the traditional, folkloric way—that’s already been used.”

What does the second column consist of?

“The second column is something we call “addictive service.” What we mean by this—without going into much detail because this is actually kind of a surprise effect for our guests—is that we try to create individual happenings in the hotel where clients throughout their stay simply have an experience that makes them want to come back.”

And the third pillar?

“We have a third pillar that we call “involved technology.” Basically, we involve our clients with our technology and by that, I don’t just mean we’ll have high-speed internet access all over the property, but there are other things. For example, all our clients will be encouraged to download our app, which will give them access to everything in the hotel: room activities, happenings, TV channels, restaurant reservations, and more. And by the way: It’s free such as the Internet is free for all our clients.”

Will this be implemented across all your hotels?

“Yes, it will be, but it won’t implement across the board at the same time, it will follow a plan. However, at our flagship hotels Atelier & Studio at Playa Mujeres everything will be involved right at the opening. Then we will be implementing it also in our other properties.”

Our fourth pillar is our eco-social concept.

We believe very much in the balance between fauna, flora, and human beings. What we do is being very much involved in keeping nature the way it should be as much as we can during construction and also in our operations. We support a lot of local communities with their handicrafts and local artisans, for example, for some of our uniforms, we use a very renowned Mexican designer who works with materials made by these local artisans.

Basically, everything we do has to go through these four pillars and there has to be proof that we’re aligning our actions towards directions.”

How does being a 100 percent Mexican company make a difference with Atelier de Hoteles?

“We are proud to offer only quality Mexican features, within the Mexican contemporary concept line. As a Mexican-owned brand our goal is to promote the best of Mexico, so basically, we make sure everything is Mexican or Mexico related. We try not to involve too much foreign culture in our operation, though it’s kind of difficult… we still have to offer French fries in some places [laughs]!”

Who is your target market, who would be your ideal guest?

“We have two products for the all-inclusive market: one is at the four plus-star óleo Cancún Playa, where we’re targeting a laid-back client in his 30s to 50s, who wants to enjoy great service in a relaxed—but not boring—atmosphere with a gorgeous view of the blue Caribbean ocean in an all-white hotel. It’s mid- to upscale-class.

At Atelier & Estudio Playa Mujeres we’re definitely talking about a five plus-star all-inclusive property, which is actually split in two. We’re targeting couples via Atelier Playa Mujeres, where we have an adults-only policy that we modified slightly to include youngsters 16 and over. At Estudio Playa Mujeres we have an option for the entire family including an innovative kids’ club concept.”

What are the key selling points an agent needs to know for selling Atelier de Hoteles to clients?

“Get to know a different Mexico—a contemporary Mexico-oriented luxury resort in Cancun with everything we mentioned above included.

Another selling point is that we are 100 percent luxury client-oriented in everything we do. With everything that’s included, we meet the needs of even the most demanding client. We understand the meaning of the word “luxury” just like demanding clients do.”

What’s coming up for Atelier de Hoteles?

“Our hotels Atelier and Estudio Playa Mujeres are opening towards the end of the year, so, for now, we are concentrating on there. We just renovated and opened óleo Cancún Playa [earlier this year], We are looking forward to closing with three hotels in 2018. For 2019 we are working on a solid expansion plan, not fast, but solidly into the all-inclusive market with our new concept and new way of doing all-inclusive business.”

Atelier de Hoteles’ Atelier & Estudio Playa Mujeres are “all suites” properties, including unique Swim Out suites and Roof Top suites with spectacular ocean views. Within this property complex, Atelier de Hoteles will offer a 1,500-person state of the art Convention Center and a stunning three-story Spa and Wellness Center.