Mexico City’s Comeback Is Real

Mexico City is a perfect business meeting destination and has become more vibrant and magical than ever

There’s little doubt that Mexico City is making a comeback. Whether you’re a global traveler or a conference planner, it should be considered a top destination. Travel planners can easily customize their trips by working with companies like iMeetings to make the trip even more impactful.

Mexico City had received a bad rap over the recent years, but I found it unwarranted. Upon my arrival from a harsh New York winter I was welcomed with a perfect temperate of 80 degrees. In late January into February it’s sunny and dry every day and certainly more interesting than the usual snowbird stop of Miami Beach.

Mexico City in route to the historic district

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a leading independent luxury hotel in Mexico City. When I recommended Mexico City to my customers, I received negative feedback about congestion, smog and crime and alike – these impressions were started and grossly exaggerated by certain press accounts.

 Overcoming Obstacles

In 2013, Mexico made a major tourism comeback. On my recent trip the outlook is even brighter for our neighbor to the south. Some stats to back this up: in 2013, Mexico City jumped to 9.2 million visitors, 82 percent were domestic and 18 percent international. Of the international visitors  85 percent were from the U.S. Looking forward Mexico City anticipates 12 million tourist arrivals in 2014 as well as overall tourism revenue of $4.2 billion.

Mexico City is now on a roll, booming with new business, new hotels, a formidable art scene with extraordinary food and culture. As a woman traveling alone, I felt completely safe and found the natives extremely helpful and friendly.

Hotels

My first stop was the new St. Regis with its commanding presence located within the city center. The rooms are exceptionally spacious and the meeting and conference rooms were state of the art. Each room was positioned to provide fantastic views, each has butler service and what you’d expect from a five-star hotel.

St Regis hotel Mexico City

The Four Seasons is undergoing a facelift, and the famed Marquis Reforma just finished a thorough renovation. These three five-star Hotels are located on the Paseo de La Reforma, which is at the heart of Mexico City’s financial district and business center.

Every day I went to the Polanco district which is known as one of the chicest neighborhoods of Mexico City. While there, I found the Hotel Geneve, which is home to some of Mexico’s most historic treasures. It opened its doors in 1907 and was frequented  by high society including Charles Lindbergh, Winston Churchill, Marlon Brando and Alejandra Kollontay, among many others. The hotel is owned by Carlos Slim Helu. Slim a Mexican telecom mogul was ranked the world’s richest man from 2010 to 2013.

Another very hip hotel that recently opened is Las Alcobas, which is also in the posh Polanco neighborhood. This intimate boutique hotel boasts a very contemporary vibe, with sleek interiors by award-winning designers, two gourmet restaurants, an intimate spa, and just the right blend of urban cool and memorable Mexican hospitality.