San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, September 28, 2010 � The most anticipated new hotel in Mexico�s most heralded destination welcomed its first guests on September 24, 2010. 

Hotel Matilda (http://www.hotelmatilda.com) is an iconoclastic boutique hotel offering visitors to famed 500-year-old San Miguel de Allende an alternative travel experience. In juxtaposition to the spectacular colonial setting and the immersion in this historical past at the other hotels here, Hotel Matilda celebrates today�s lifestyle in a vibrant, gallery-like ambiance filled with contemporary art.

Hotel Matilda
Aldama 53, Col. Centro
San Miguel de Allende
Guanajuato, México 37700

�Our cutting-edge, lifestyle-focused guest experience at Hotel Matilda is defined by an evocative and comfortable ambiance, personalized service, sophisticated amenities, and striking contemporary art that engages and animates guests,� said General Manager Andrés Sanhueza, who comes to Hotel Matilda with 13 years of hospitality experience in Mexico and his native Chile, most recently as part of the opening team for the W Hotel Santiago, Chile. 

Hotel Matilda offers:

• 32 rooms and suites: All are luxuriously appointed with artistic touches from Mexican calcutta marble floors and art by acclaimed Mexico City photographer Eduardo Zaylan to fine 400-thread-count linens. Most feature a balcony or terrace, while many boast panoramic views of San Miguel de Allende. The interior design was by McAlpine Booth & Ferrier Interiors, Nashville/New York/Atlanta.

• Restaurant Matilda: Chef McDonough�s menu of contemporary international cuisine reinvents traditional American, Continental and Latin American cooking with his own innovative twists using the latest culinary trends. He has gone to unsurpassed lengths to find and procure the finest locally sourced ingredients, including establishing partnerships with artisanal food producers, developing organic gardens and even obtaining facilities to produce locally unavailable food products. Guests may dine indoors or on the patio overlooking lush gardens of indigenous flora and the wall of water flowing down from the infinity pool.

Chef McDonough comes to Hotel Matilda with 20 years of diverse culinary experience, notably as Executive Chef with private clubs that emphasized world-class cuisine for an exclusive membership. Most recently, he was Executive Chef of the Snake River Sporting Club, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

• Bar Matilda:  The lounge pours premium brands and specialty spirits by artisanal producers, and mixes classic and original cocktails employing the latest in mixology.

• Spa Matilda:  The 4,700-square-foot spa focuses on achieving total well-being through a collection of globally and locally inspired treatments and integrated personal care experiences customized to individual needs and preferences. Set in an intimate, tranquil garden environment, it has four treatment rooms including a couple�s room; a spa suite with a steam shower and soaking tub; two patios; an indoor/outdoor Relaxation Lounge with a fireplace for pre- and post-treatment quiet time; and a fitness facility with cardio- and strength-training equipment. The spa was developed by Under a Tree Consulting, Tucson.

• Infinity Pool: An infinity-edge swimming pool features a deck with lounge chairs and market umbrellas, food and beverage service, and a verdant garden ambience planted with species indigenous to the local area. The pool is anchored by a stunning water feature: water flows out of the pool down a large water wall into the spa garden.

Hotel Matilda Infinity Pool

San Miguel de Allende: Located in the central highlands of Mexico about 170 miles from Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende is a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its spectacular Spanish colonial architecture and Old World ambience that remain virtually unchanged from centuries ago. In its �World�s Best� awards for 2010, Travel + Leisure named San Miguel the  #1 city in Latin America and the #4 city in the world.

Hotel Matilda Art Collection: In a community renowned for its architecture, art schools and striking landscapes, Hotel Matilda takes this legacy a step further by exhibiting the works of acclaimed contemporary artists. The hotel designed its ambiance to have the feel and look of an art gallery, creating an ideal environment for displaying works in an array of media;  most notable are the energetic and imaginative pieces, commissioned specifically for the hotel, by three emerging stars of the Mexican art world: Aldo Chaparro, Nacho Rodriguez Bach and Bosco Sodi. The art connection, moreover, gave the hotel its name: Hotel Matilda is eponymously named for the subject of a famous 1940�s portrait of Matilda Stream by revered Mexican artist Diego Rivera; the original remains in a private collection while an image hangs in Hotel Matilda.

Other features and amenities:

• Wifi: Complimentary wireless internet is available in all common areas; all rooms and suites have wired connections. 
• Canine Club Pet Program: Pets up to 20 pounds are welcomed with special beds, treats, toys, daily walks and more.
• Green Profile: Hotel Matilda has a truly green profile with everything from photo-voltaic panels producing electricity and solar panels heating water to an automatic lighting system, composting of organic waste and sustainable bath amenities.
• Indigenous Landscaping: The landscaping complements the green profile by only using plants that are indigenous to the region. 
• Diverse plantings of common and rare species creates a natural array of colors and textures, canopies and lower gardens, and varying scents through the seasons of the year.

For more information and reservations:  [email protected], or direct dial from U.S. (011) (52) 415-152-10-15.