The two longtime friends who met in highschool initially set out with real estate ambitions that quickly evolved into creating a hotel collection focused on art and design. The instinct came naturally; both are avid art collectors and uncompromising in their mission to bring the vibrancy of a neighborhood inside. “We only create one hotel a year in order to understand a community, its vision, and tastes,” says Couturier of their approach to each new project. “Even if we’re successful at something, we don’t repeat it.’’ Among the group’s most celebrated hotels are The Robey in Chicago, Hotel Escondido Oaxaca, and Casa Habita in Guadalajara.

For the most recent opening of Círculo Mexicano, Couturier and Micha collaborated with award-winning local architects Jorge Ambrosi and Gabriela Etchegaray, who are known for “architecture that is in harmony with nature, where earth, gravity, and light must be present.” At Círculo Mexicano, the collapsed roof of the existing building revealed the potential of a patio that would flood the property with light and open up its spaces. And so, this adapted central patio now acts as a modern marketplace with handpicked stores such as Simple by Trista by Giovanni Estrada and José Alfredo Silva, and unique dining options by the up-and-coming chef collective Ona. Most of the rooms also have patios that provide private spaces for guests to retreat. A proud showcase for local talent, Círculo Mexicano features custom made furniture by design studio La Metropolitana, following the Shakers design principle of simplicity, utility, and material honesty to add to the space’s architectural lightness.

Couturier and Micha are passionately committed to investing in the regions in which they build their hotels, from Mexico to the United States.“We use a local team every time we build a hotel, and we read the surroundings and their traditions to integrate the local culture into our projects,” Couturier explains. As a signature element of Grupo Habita, art and culture reigns supreme at Circulo Mexicano, and takes its main cues from the address of the property itself where the nation’s most celebrated photographer, Manuel Álvarez Bravo (1902 – 2002), was born and spent his formative years. As such, a selected number of works by Bravo are exhibited throughout the hotel rooms and public areas. 

About Grupo Habita:
Grupo Habita has been leading a design revolution in Mexico’s hospitality industry since 2000 with its first lifestyle hotel in Latin America: HABITA Hotel. The hospitality group has built a collection of over a dozen diverse, award-winning hotels across Mexico, as well as in the United States with The Robey in Chicago. Grupo Habita excels at choosing untapped locations in Mexico where they integrate their vision into the personality of the city and the neighborhood. As they state: “It’s about creating experiences for your guests and making the world better through hospitality.” News about future openings include upcoming hotels in Puebla, Ensenada, and La Paz, Baja California. All are expected to open in 2020 and 2021. www.grupohabita.mx/