San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, December 8, 2011 – Hotel Matilda (www.hotelmatilda.com), the trend-setting boutique hotel offering a lifestyle-focused guest experience, has become the newest member of Design Hotels, and the only member of the international collection in San Miguel de Allende.

“Hotel Matilda was created with vision and passion, and endowed with a pulsating heartbeat of art and design, making us a perfect match with Design Hotels,” said General Manager Bruce James. “We look forward to a synergistic relationship that powers marketing and sales as well as reinforces our image.”

Hotel Matilda is a cutting-edge boutique hotel with designer rooms and suites, an innovative holistic spa, gourmet dining blending classic Mexican with today’s international trends and tastes, a popular lounge where the latest mixology meets indigenous fruits and herbs, and a vibrant, gallery-like ambiance that is filled with dramatic contemporary art.  For more information and reservations:  toll free 855-MATILDA (855-628-4532), or [email protected]

Hotel Matilda followed its own original and iconoclastic path. While every other hotel in San Miguel de Allende immerses guests in the town’s famed colonial ambiance, Hotel Matilda created an edgy environment that celebrates the lifestyle of today’s international travel. In an art-gallery-like décor of white- and graphite-colored walls, Hotel Matilda was filled with an eclectic collection of art, with many major works – that frame and define entire spaces –commissioned specifically for the property.

Design Hotels(TM) represents and markets a curated selection of more than 200 independent hotels in over 40 countries across the globe. More than a collection of hotels, the company is a collection of stories. Each property reflects the ideas of a visionary hotelier, an "Original," someone with a passion for genuine hospitality, cultural authenticity, thought-provoking design and architecture. Each "Original" stands for the individual, aesthetic and service-driven experience that his or her hotel provides. Founded by Claus Sendlinger in 1993, Design Hotels(TM) offers its members insightful travel industry knowledge, from market trend consultancy to international sales representation. The company has its headquarters in Berlin and branches in London, Barcelona, New York, Singapore and Perth. For more information, please visit http://www.designhotels.com and http://www.madebyoriginals.com.

On December 6, 2011, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide signed an agreement to acquire 49.8% of the shares of Design Hotels. Subject to anti-trust approval in Germany, the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2012, making Starwood the majority shareholder in Design Hotels.

The crown jewel of colonial Mexico, San Miguel de Allende is a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrated for its intact 500-year-old Spanish architecture, charming Old World ambience and art schools that draw budding artists from many countries. San Miguel de Allende is located in the central highlands of Mexico about a three-hour drive from Mexico City.  American, Aeromexico and Continental airlines fly from the U.S. to Leon/Guanajuato Airport, which is a 1.5- hour drive from San Miguel de Allende. Hotel Matilda can arrange airport transfers.