In the new Garza Blanca Resort & Spa lobby in Cancun, Mexico, 1600 lights hang from the ceiling, which is three stories high. Against the gold top in the distance, they look like they are floating, an ethereal part of a big, dramatic room.
Carlos Alberto Palomera González, Project Executive Design Director for Garza Blanca and a Tafer Resorts design team member, says that the “wow factor” is a vital part of the design. The lobby is significant because it is where guests first see the hotel. It needs to be big enough for a bar and a reception area, and the lighting should help people move through the lobby and add drama.
The Garza Blanca will open in spring 2022, north of Cancun’s hotel zone. It is the newest hotel in a chain of Mexican hotels that Fernando González and his family own and run. Some of Tafer’s other properties are in Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, the Sierra Madre, and Riviera Maya.
Garza Blanca
Fernando González Jr., the vice-president of Tafer and the son of the chain’s owner, says that the site inspired the design of Garza Blanca.
He says the ocean is on one side, and the mangroves are on the other. They chose the design and set up so everyone could view the mangroves or the water. All of our new plans are based on buildings already in the group. We try to learn from our mistakes and make each hotel better.
Cancun has a lot of high-end resorts, but the Garza Blanca sets a new standard based on the idea that the best hospitality comes from making people feel at ease.
Garza Blanca Design Aspects
Fernando González Jr. says We try to create high-end things that are also comfortable.
Ana Valdés Navarro, in charge of interior design, says that our colors and materials are essential for this. We used blue sea colors all over the building to match the colors of Cancun. We also utilized a lot of natural stone, high-end materials, and shades of gold for the furniture and lighting. Especially during the “golden hour” around sunset, when everything looks magical, and everyone looks great, the golden tones in the lamps and ceiling, along with the soft fabrics, make for that “wow” factor.
César González Reynoso, who is in charge of the Cancun Regional Project, said that the hotel zone in Cancun has its own building rules. For example, buildings in the Garza Blanca can only be ten stories tall instead of the 20 stories allowed in the hotel zone.
César González Reynoso says that for the best building practices, we use the strictest building codes in different areas. César González Reynoso says that he and his fellow designers used United States building codes for the heights of the railings. These codes are stricter and call for higher barriers.
Garza Blanca True Luxury Building
He says that we use the hurricane codes from Miami-Dade County. The size and scale of each project make it unique. But in every case, we try to design the best building for the place.
The U-shaped buildings had to be built on 100-foot-tall footings at Garza Blanca, where the land is swampy. But César González Reynoso says that the water table is not very deep. As soon as you dig, you discover water. So we had to use special concrete that didn’t get wet. We also get a lot of hurricanes, so we must ensure that the building stays dry when storm surges hit.
As important as a building to have soft, welcoming fabrics, dramatic and artistic lighting, and welcoming spaces, it is even more critical that it is safe. Some of the most expensive buildings may also be some of the oldest because real luxury is built to last.
