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The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai
By : Rockwell Group
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Interior Design : Grand Winner
Categories : Accommodation, Restaurant & Bar / Boutique Hotel : Platinum Winner
The Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai is the brand’s first property in Mexico, located along a secluded and pristine stretch of white sand beaches with a view of Cozumel in the distance. Rockwell Group designed the public spaces, amenities, and 155 guestrooms.
Riviera Maya is famous for its extraordinary landscape, including a 400-year-old mangrove reserve, lagoons, magical cenotes, and one of the largest coral reefs in the world. Our design concept was informed by this lush environment and the surrounding water; we wanted to create the feeling that the resort is a natural extension of the landscape and that its three buildings are an extension of a glowing cenote, with a spa at its nexus. The rooftops of the central building swoop down to a manmade pool that appears to be part of the existing natural tributaries. Many of the circulation areas and corridors are covered open-air spaces, maintaining guests’ connection to the outdoors at all times.
To enter the hotel, guests ascend a grand staircase into a 45-foot triple-height open-air lobby. There, they look out across the reflection pools to the ocean, a view shed that defines the resort at large. Vertical shutter screens form walls on the western and eastern sides of the lobby to create a flowing experience. These screens also define the reception area, lobby bar, and all-day dining. Lush greenery cascades from the ceiling in the lounge area and evokes the experience of looking up inside a cenote, creating a more intimate scale in the grand space. Plants line the staircase, screens, and columns inside the lobby to further blur the lines between indoors and out.
A 52-seat bar made of honed marble is located to the right of the lobby lounge. Tall wooden screens separate the bar from the other areas of the lobby. Behind the bar, a monumental feature wall contains a grid of wood niches in front of a custom handmade plaster mural that references overscaled glyphs from Mayan ruins. The niches serve as a backbar and as a display for ceramics.
KI’IS (a Mayan word for “zest”) is EDITION’s signature restaurant created by Chef Francisco “Paco” Ruano, the chef/owner of the award-winning restaurant Alcade in Guadalajara. Guests enter the signature restaurant via a meandering journey from the hotel, with views of the adjacent pool and landscape. The white-washed space evokes a luxurious beach shack with lush vegetation. The walls are clad with white painted wood paneling in a board-and-batten style and the white painted wood ceiling features elongating exposed beams. A central square bar made of reclaimed wood is flanked by two dining areas containing two- and four-tops surrounded by banquettes. Glass walls on the south, west, and east perimeters of the restaurant overlook the pool and the mangroves and ocean beyond; guests feel as though they are sitting within the surroundings. Marble floors and spare teak wood accents add richness and depth. Illuminated white sheers float behind the banquettes at the north wall. The total effect is a sense of carefully curated chic, bohemian objects set within a clean and refined space.
Kitchen at EDITION is the resort’s all day dining experience also helmed by Chef Ruano. The geometry of the roof in the lobby extends into the dining experience and dips down to create a pergola. Vegetation travels from the outside to dining room, covering the wooden beams along the ceilings. The space features sliding doors leading to the terrace. Lush plantings create a magical, jungle feeling.
The Lagoon, the resort’s central pool, is inspired by the area’s mangroves and cenotes. The Lagoon is surrounded by flowing vegetation, a bar, and a pool deck with floating cabanas, dining seats, and loungers. The pool features floating cabanas and a shallow sun shelf with loungers, allowing guests to walk on the water towards the hammocks between the palm trees.
A palm tree-lined sand boardwalk leads guests from the Lagoon towards the ocean and the beach club. The beach club takes inspiration from the aesthetics of Tulum and feels like an old beach shack, made up of vegetation and wood weathered by time and the elements. The club features an infinity pool at the beach line with a dining and lounge area along the edge of the pool. An outdoor grill is central to the space, making the kitchen and cooking experience visible to the public.
The conceptual center of the project is the spa, which takes a circular form. This core relaxation zone features five private treatment rooms, a lounge, three different vitality pools, a salon, showers, and a sauna. In order to create the feeling of being inside a cenote, the ceiling of the spa contains a circular skylight with a water feature floating on top of it. The water and skylight, neutral color palette, and natural materials create a feeling of Zen in the spa. The treatment rooms evoke rusticated outcroppings surrounded by mangroves.
EDITION’s 182 guestrooms and 30 suites focus views out towards the ocean and the lush mangroves. All guestrooms face the water and those on the ground floor feature a private plunge pool with outdoor space surrounded by the mangroves. Light and airy materials and colors create a calm oasis. Guests are greeted by two closets (fashion and utility) for convenient storage. Each room contains a large bathroom enclosed by slatted wood paneling, reminiscent of the screens in the lobby, but on a finer and more delicate scale. The bathroom is entered through a large 5-foot-wide sliding door, ensuring that the bathroom and living space all flow into one another. The bathroom features a simple palette with a wet room, custom tub and monumental sink. Because the scale of the room is so large, it was important to make it more intimate for the sleeping area. We accomplished this with a custom four-poster bed with draping swag, custom lighting, nightstands, and a curved sofa, allowing the furniture to segment the space and add softness. The classic neutral EDITION palette is differentiated here by materials that pull in the embroidery and patterning of the local area to ensure that Kanai is honored throughout the design of the property.
The penthouse level is surrounded by glass on three sides, providing unbeatable views of the beach and ocean. The floor has five separate guestrooms that can be combined into a single floor-through penthouse super suite as well as other configurations. Each guestroom features wood detailed closets, a bathroom with ocean views, wet bar, dining & lounge area, sleeping space and a private deck with a plunge pool. The lounge area contains plush, contemporary furniture, natural stone floors, sheer drapery and a natural fiber hand woven area rug. The sleeping area has a delicate wood canopy bed, a curved plush upholstered sofa, elegant floor lamps with linen shades, and wooden bedside tables. Each guestroom includes a private terrace with wood decking, soft lounge chairs that create a private space of calm and relaxation, and a raised whirlpool overlooking a landscaped perimeter with views to the ocean beyond. A flexible living area with a catering kitchen is flanked by integrated grand reflecting pools with an infinity edge, making the super suite appear to float on water. An expansive covered outdoor terrace, accessed through full-height glass sliding doors, transforms the floor into a space for large private events. An uncovered terrace of the same size—located adjacent to the covered area—leads to an outdoor raised private swimming pool with an infinity edge that creates a waterfall on one end. A sunken garden lounge on the prow of the pool deck has views looking out to the ocean.
