Mexico Boutique Hotels

Mexico Boutique Hotels recently added seven new properties. The 25-room La Casa de la Marquesa, built in 1756, is in downtown Queretaro. Casa de Sierra Nevada is in downtown San Miguel de Allende. The hotel recently inaugurated Sazón, a store and culinary school. La Casa de las Rosas is a four-room hotel in downtown Morelia. Clarum 101, which opened last year in downtown Guadalajara, is a six room hotel with cutting-edge style. Each uniquely decorated room has flat-screen TVs and in-room iPods. Clarum 101 is a popular choice of Mexican rock stars and show business people. Tamarindo, on the Costalegre, has 29 villas surrounded by lush jungle. Cuba-inspired CasaSandra is on Isla Holbox north of Cancun. Each of CasaSandra's 12 rooms is decorated with handcarved wooden furniture and painting by Cuban artists. Tides is the new name for Ikal del Mar on the Riviera Maya. Tides has 30 elegant beachfront villas with private pools and thatched palapa roofs.

New Tour Company

Mexico Boutique Hotels and Journey Mexico announced their new joint venture, Boutique Journeys. The new company will provide both scheduled and customized tours linking properties in the Mexico Boutique Hotels portfolio. "Boutique journeys are targeted to our clientele, who typically desire private trips," says Zachary Rabinor, president of Journey Mexico. Many of these tours will be created around a client's interests, such as birdwatching, archaeology or culinary tastings, utilizing local guides. "Being escorted by a local guide means you get local access," says Rabinor. Groups start at two people and are capped at 11. Prices begin at $2,600 per person for a nine-day FIT itinerary, or $2,900 per person for a fully escorted tour. Tours are commissionable to travel agents at 10 percent.