"While the typical hotel in San Miguel de Allende immerses guests in the historical past, Hotel Matilda will embrace the lifestyle of today’s travelers and offer them enriching new cultural and personal experiences,” said Harold Stream, the owner and developer. “From an ambience filled with engaging modern Mexican art to bold new variations on Latin dishes, the hotel will take tradition and move it forward into the future.” http://www.hotelmatilda.com

A unique characteristic that distinguishes Hotel Matilda is that it will be a ‘living art gallery’ displaying the works of acclaimed Mexican artists. “Our collection at Hotel Matilda will celebrate the current Mexican art scene and its promising future,” explained Stream. “The energetic and imaginative works of such cutting-edge artists as Aldo Chaparro, Nacho Rodriguez and Bosco Sodi will create a uniquely art-centered environment that will both surprise and delight guests. There will be no other hotel in San Miguel – and probably all of Mexico – showcasing such popular and rising modern-art stars.”

Underscoring the boutique hotel’s commitment to the arts is that it was eponymously named for the subject of a famous painting that will be part of the hotel’s collection. In the 1940s, internationally revered Mexican artist Diego Rivera painted a larger-than-life portrait of Matilda Stream, Harold’s mother. While the original will remain part of the Stream family private collection, a reproduction will hang in the hotel.

Stream has been in the hospitality business since 1972 and has owned a variety of hotels throughout the U.S. and Mexico, as well as several restaurants and a Golf Digest Top 100 Golf Course. As a long-time resident and passionate aficionado of San Miguel de Allende, he has long wanted to create something that was missing here: a truly world-class boutique hotel that embraced his vision of the future of hospitality.

“Soon, savvy and discriminating travelers will be able to pair the beauty and wonders of this magical destination with the refined accommodations, superb dining, innovative spa treatments, relaxing lifestyle and one-of-a-kind art scene of Hotel Matilda,” said Stream.

Hotel Matilda will feature:

- 32 rooms and suites with timeless contemporary décor, a patio or terrace with a lush gardenscape, and many with vistas over the dramatic steeple-studded skyline of San Miguel;

- Gourmet restaurant with garden seating serving contemporary cuisine with regional influences and Latin flair;

- Stylish lounge appealing to guests and local residents alike featuring light dining, full bar and a patio overlooking San Miguel;

- Intimate spa offering a collection of globally and locally inspired treatments and integrated personal care experiences customized to individual needs and preferences;

- Infinity pool and deck with lounge chairs and umbrellas;

- Indigenous landscaping only using plants that are native to the region;

- Green profile with photo-voltaic panels to produce electricity, solar panels to heat water, composting of organic waste and automatic lighting controls to reduce energy use.

Located in Mexico’s central highlands and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its pristine architecture dating from the days of Spanish rule, San Miguel de Allende is arguably Mexico’s most engaging and beautiful destination. For many savvy travelers, the quaint town conjures up magical images of graceful arches, beautiful bell towers, cobbled lanes and walls aflame with red bougainvillea. Condé Nast Traveler’s “Best in the World” list for 2009 named it the #5 city of the Americas.

For more information about Hotel Matilda and reservations: [email protected], or (011) (52) 415-152-10-15. http://www.hotelmatilda.com