Hotels are more than just accommodation. On the Mexican coast in Zihuatanejo, Tara Medine and Andrés Saavadera Benitez are living the dream of a community that redefines travel and experience. Musa is a meeting place for those whose creativity knows no bounds and guests who understand that the true pearls of the hotel industry are always the people.
FACES: How did you get into the hotel business and to open your own hotel in Mexico with the Musa?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: We launched the lifestyle brand Loot together in 2013. Loot was an opportunity for us to experiment with things that had nothing to do with our day-to-day work at the time. At the time, we were building a series of residential complexes with our architecture and design office, but we wanted to experiment with things like music, art, culture, food and festivals. Loot was an experimental playground for us and a great platform for getting to know people and pursuing our individual interests. It’s been great to be able to put on these fabulous events with Loot and build a community of like-minded people. At the time, we were in Zihuatanejo, this pretty harbor town in Mexico, where there were unfortunately no great places for our target group and community members to meet or spend the night. Without further ado, we then opened our pop-up hotel La Casa MX, for which we took over an abandoned house that had been completely devoured by the jungle. It’s hard to imagine the charm of this building! Unfortunately, the rental contract was limited to six months and you had to climb 200 steps to reach the hotel – but it was still an incredible project and we had so much fun exploring what hospitality actually means. We quickly realized that this was what we wanted to spend our everyday lives doing. However, our architecture firm specialized in large private residential buildings and condominiums, with which we addressed a much older target group than the one we had in mind for our projects in Zihuatanejo. Hospitality builds the bridge between creating and experiencing beautiful spaces. By taking on every project we could get our hands on – building the Thompson, Los Serenos, Troncones – we were able to learn what gastronomy and hospitality really mean. It’s not just about beautiful rooms, but also about good service and being able to spark that magic that enchants people in the long term.
FACES: How do you describe your hotel in one sentence?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: The Musa offers comfort and high-quality design in a tropical setting. It is a place to switch off and a meeting place to socialize. I guarantee one thing: at the end of the day you will fall in love – with the other guests as well as with our staff, because here you can be exactly who you want to be.
Many small steps and one big goal
FACES: Describe the path from the idea to the finished hotel!
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: We are more than just a hotel, we see ourselves much more as a service community and a space for creative minds and innovative ideas. Musa is located just 35 minutes south of the international airport, and yet it feels like you’ve been teleported to an untouched paradise. We want to create more than just a place to stay – here you will find everything you need to be truly free.
FACES: Why should we absolutely descend on you guys?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: Musa is simply something very special. The beauty and magic of this place are very difficult to put into words. It is real and yet not, raw and beautiful and leaves you amazed time and time again. This place is unlike anything we have seen before.
Exciting everyday hotel life
FACES: What makes everyday life as hoteliers so exciting, and what aspects get on your nerves?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: What we find most exciting is that we are in a truly rural environment. This connects us to the local community and our workforce and also has a positive impact on the region and the people here, who have now become family to us. We try to make every experience personal and rethink the way we live and travel today. We don’t stand still – we are constantly adding new things. Every day we meet new, interesting and sometimes crazy people with whom we make new friends, exchange ideas and do all kinds of creative things. The guests and our employees merge into this wonderful community that supports each other – we think that’s great!
FACES: As a hotelier, what do you have to think about that others don’t have to worry about?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: We are not typical hoteliers, so our approach to this question is particularly individual. In our region, dealing with sustainability is particularly important and we need to be extremely aware of the impact on our environment and people. Waste management and social sustainability are incredibly important to us, and we are always trying to find creative solutions, for example for the waste problem. As far as the hospitality industry is concerned, we are trying to redefine the relationship with our guests. For us, this interaction is a give and take – guests come, pay and experience, but we also challenge them to understand the impact of their travels and what it means to be part of a community. We think a lot about how we can make connections and raise awareness. We want people to think about how they treat their fellow human beings and the environment and be kind to each other.
FACES: What are you racking your brains over?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: We don’t actually worry too much, but approach things methodically and very consciously. That’s why we don’t talk about worry, but about acting in a considered manner and following a plan without losing your head over it.
Being a boss is not easy
FACES: What are you like as bosses?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: We try to be fair, understanding and supportive. Ultimately, our team is the core of what makes this place so magical and special. Our employees are very diverse in terms of their socio-economic background and origin and come from all parts of the world. It is important to us to constantly improve, find new ways and create even more opportunities to support our employees. Where we want to be and where we are are still far apart at the moment. Nevertheless, our aim is to always put our employees first. We have drawn up a code of conduct for this purpose. We do not tolerate bad behavior from guests towards our employees, which we communicate clearly everywhere. Our team is absolutely crucial to the magic of this place, and that’s one of the reasons why we try to be fair.
FACES: What makes a good host?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: A good host is someone who can read the room and really understands what people need without being overwhelming or underwhelming. It is important to be able to assess people and understand what they need, even if they themselves do not yet really know what they need. Good hosts know when it’s time to turn up or leave, they understand how to create privacy and intimacy, show empathy and understanding while still setting clear boundaries.
Guests with a big heart
FACES: Which guests do you like the most?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: The strange probably. (laughs) We mean those who broaden our horizons and our way of thinking, with whom we have good conversations, people who like to share and have a big heart. It is these extraordinarily creative and perhaps a little crazy people who are passionate about achieving incredible things and want to share this joy with others that impress us the most.
FACES: What guest behavior makes you angry?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: Our project is not to everyone’s taste. You need to understand this community spirit, be family- and environment-oriented and come to us to have a good time as part of the team. If you don’t understand this philosophy, you’ve come to the wrong place. We don’t like guests who spread bad vibes, are condescending or rude, or humiliate anyone. People like that have no place here.
A development process like a good wine
FACES: What expectations do you have for your hotel?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: We see our hotel as a small microcosm of society. We are aware that it takes a certain amount of time to get where we want to be. However, it is precisely this process that we enjoy, as we can experiment so much and think about how we can redefine gastronomy, wellness, entertainment, adventure and travel itself for ourselves. This development process is like a good wine that gets better and better with age.
FACES: What story from your everyday life as a hotelier do you have to tell us?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: Let’s put it this way: “White Lotus” is no joke. (laughs) It is so interesting to gather people from all over the world in such a dreamlike and magical place and to see how differently they deal with what we offer them.
Attention to detail
FACES: What do you look out for when staying out yourselves?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: Attention to detail. We value people who have the courage to do things differently. We pay attention to great food and drinks as well as excellent service. You can be in the most beautiful place in the world, but if the service isn’t right, it’s not worth it. Everyone is important – the person who brings the coffee, the person who cooks the food and the person who cleans the rooms. We are convinced that if employees do not feel valued, the soul of the experience is impaired. Places full of positive energy and a good atmosphere are extremely important to us.
FACES: What separates a good hotel from a great hotel?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: Attention to detail. Greatness has nothing to do with a stamp, a seal or a star, or with the perfect Instagram moment. It’s about the atmosphere, the service, the essence of the place and every detail merging into this unique experience that guests take home with them and keep in their hearts forever.
FACES: Where is your own bed?
Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez: We live and breathe Musa and enjoy the great people who visit us here every day. Many of our guests decide to stay permanently during their stay – this is one of the reasons why we are developing a special model in which people become part of our project and can find a private home here in a hideaway.
Musa
It was the water that brought Andrés Saavadera Benitez and Tara Medina together. Since then, they have been riding the same wave and doing so on the beach in Mexico, where they have opened their Musa residence in Zihuatanejo. Musa is a hotel and a community, a symbiosis of accommodation and refuge and a place for everyone with colorful thoughts. The name of the residence is an abbreviation of the claim Modern Utopian Society of Adventures. 13 rooms are home to guests who become friends during their stay, who appreciate the minimalist design as much as the tropical location and the opportunity to meet people from all over the world in this place. Benitez and Medina attach great importance to the conscious and sustainable use of resources. For example, an artificial reef creates a new habitat for marine animals, while plants on the roofs cool the residence without any electricity.
Musa, Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico, stayatmusa.mx
That’s what Tara Medina & Andrés Saavedra Benitez from…
cruise ships:
somehow remind us of a floating shopping center.
Buffet meal:
Bloodbath.
All-inclusive:
We appreciate the variety.
Tip:
is a form of appreciation.
Dogs in the restaurant and hotel:
Freedom.
Children in the restaurant and hotel:
There’s the perfect place and the right time for this.
Animators:
We call them wranglers, who lead a real party life, teach our guests how to surf or can even scare away a crocodile on occasion.
Dress codes:
Pyjamas made of silk or linen.
TripAdvisor:
Old-school platform for people who want to complain.
Online travel agencies:
We manage well without them.
Sharing Economy:
The way the world should be.
Sustainability:
is a matter of course.
Shortage of skilled workers:
feels like diving for pearls.
We know the people behind the hotels. Here you can find even more hosts and their stories.
Teaser photo & photos: © Lover Lover for Musa
