IHG to bring Vignette Collection brand to Mexico

IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a deal to open a Vignette Collection hotel in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. El Gran Encomendero is the first for IHG’s Luxury & Lifestyle Collection brand in both Mexico and the Americas region following the brand’s August 2021 launch.

Scheduled to begin construction in early 2023, the 83-room El Gran Encomendero will anchor a four-story mixed-use development in Valladolid, a historic town nearly 25 miles west of the Chichen Itza ruins. The hotel will have a restaurant and bar, rooftop pool, spa, fitness center and 1,600-square-feet of meeting space.

Under the ownership of Grupo Alves, El Gran Encomendero will also be the first branded hotel in the Valladolid community. The city anticipates attracting more visitors following the construction of the government-funded Mayan train line that will connect it directly to Mérida and Cancún.

“Valladolid’s deep history and coveted location make it ideal for El Gran Encomendero," Grupo Alves CEO Erick Alvarez said in a statement. "We are confident that this beautiful and luxurious property will quickly become the regional destination for travelers, and we look forward to working with IHG to turn our vision into a reality. I’d also like to thank Lic. Ernesto Herrera Novelo, Secretary of Economic Development and Labor for the State of Yucatan, for overseeing the signing of our franchise agreement.”

Each Vignette Collection hotel is named for a unique element of its history, character or location. El Gran Encomendero’s billing takes inspiration from Pedro Sierra Lina’s book, “Trilogia Sobre la Casa del Encomendero de Valladolid.” The first hotels to join the Collection include Hotel X Brisbane Fortitude Valley in Australia and Sindhorn Midtown Hotel Bangkok in Thailand. IHG anticipates opening more than 100 new Vignette Collection properties in urban and resort locations and heritage destinations over the next 10 years, including a recently finalized signing for the collection’s tenth global property near Victoria Falls in Zambia.