Thompson Hotels is coming to the Caribbean

By Alexander Britell

Thompson Hotels is expanding to the Caribbean.

The company announced the planned opening of its new Thompson Playa del Carmen this fall on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, the brand’s first hotel in the Caribbean region.

The property will be located on the city’s bustling La Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue). The 92-room hotel will include a 30,000-square-foot rooftop with an infinity pool.

It will include two locations: a main hotel and a beach house a five-minute walk away.

The property will also include the first Mexican outpost of New York City hospitality team EMM’s CATCH dining concept, set on the main building’s rooftop.

Above: a rendering of the hotel

The hotel is owned by Thor Urbana Capital and managed by multi-brand lifestyle company Commune Hotels & Resorts.

The aim is to create a “vibrant, 1950s-inspired, glamorous Mexican oasis,” according to the company.

The hotel will be the second Thompson property in Mexico, following the debut of The Cape, Cabo San Lucas, which opened in June.

“Thompson Playa del Carmen will be the only hotel in Playa with both a central La Quinta Avenida downtown location, as well as a beachfront retreat,” said Julian Smaldoni, General Manager of Thompson Playa del Carmen. “As the only hotel in Riviera Maya offering two experiences, guests will have the option to sip signature cocktails by the rooftop pool and dance the night away at CATCH, or find Zen with oceanfront yoga and enjoy the privacy of the nearby Beach House.”

“Thompson Playa del Carmen marks the much-anticipated expansion of Thompson Hotels in Mexico, after the recent unveiling of our first property in the country, The Cape in Cabo San Lucas,” said Niki Leondakis, CEO of Commune Hotels & Resorts. “Riviera Maya is a culturally and ecologically rich destination with an authentic Mexican charm. Our mission for Thompson Playa del Carmen is to celebrate the vibrancy of the region, while introducing a completely new lifestyle experience for locals and visitors that seamlessly blends the urban, downtown culture of Playa with a laid-back, Caribbean seaside escape.”

The Beach House portion of the property is slated to open in early 2016, with 27 luxury rooms and suites.

The property is now accepting reservations beginning Nov. 20, according to its Web site.