Hotel of the Week: The Riviera Maya Edition Is a Minimalist Paradise

For its first hotel in Mexico, the Edition’s classic minimalist palette has been adapted to feature an abundance of warm woods and creamy stone, not to mention a profusion of greenery, as evidenced by the triple-height lobby’s explosion of hanging plants that create an immersive, jungle-like atmosphere. (Flowering orchids also abound.) In lieu of windows, the lobby is enclosed by a series of wooden shutter screens that allow light and air to flow naturally throughout the space.

The sizable rooms, all of which boast private terraces and face toward the ocean, also feature stone floors and slatted wood paneling that echoes the lobby screens, albeit on a more intimate scale. (Notably, the guest accommodations on the ground floor are equipped with their own outdoor plunge pools.) For the sculptural furnishings, the Rockwell team crafted bespoke four-poster beds, custom lighting, nightstands, and curving sofas—all of which hew to a neutral, serene color palette.

There is a sense of theatricality, too, thanks in no small part to Studio 54 empresario and hotelier Ian Schrager, who founded the Edition brand in 2013 with Marriott International. Schrager is known for his exacting attention to detail as well as his ability to create buzzworthy destinations for the jet-set crowd. Case in point is the soaring Lobby Bar, draped with dramatic scarlet curtains and anchored by a massive marble bar set against a striking grid of Mayan ceramics that stretches all the way to the ceiling.

The top-tier food and beverage program is overseen by a pair of celebrated Mexican chefs, Francisco “Paco” Ruano from Guadalajara and Tomás Bermúdez from Mexico City. The site’s signature restaurant, KI’IS (Mayan for zest) was created by Ruano as a way to meld flavors of the Pacific with ingredients sourced from Riviera Maya. The beach club restaurant, called SO’OL, is helmed by Bermúdez and features Mediterranean fare with a Mexican spin.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an Edition property without a spectacular spa, and the one here forms the centerpiece of the resort, located beneath a sculptural wooden yoga dome that curls around an oculus water feature inspired by cenotes. Guests descend down a spiral staircase (another Edition signature) to find a central lounge beneath the oculus, a series of hydrotherapy pools, a Turkish hammam, and an infrared spa, as well as a variety of indoor-outdoor treatment rooms.

The crown jewel of the property is undoubtedly the Rooftop Sky Villa. At 27,000 square feet, the sprawling accommodation is said to be the largest hotel penthouse in North America and features five rooms each with a private plunge pool, a massive entertainment terrace with a waterfall-edge pool, and a sunken garden lounge with breathtaking ocean vistas that stretch to Isla Mujeres. Don’t be surprised when you start seeing it pop up in your favorite A-listers’ Instagram feeds.