A few days after arriving in San Miguel de Allende, the new home of his hotel complex, Pueblo Bonito Vantage, Ernesto Coppel acknowledged that opening the property was not easy, but said his determination ultimately made it possible.
“We’re here with all our heart, enjoying it as if it were our very first hotel,” said the entrepreneur, whose company now operates five properties in Los Cabos and two in Mazatlán. “Napoleon used to say, ‘I fought 65 battles, and in none of them did I learn anything I didn’t already know after the first.’ Building a hotel is the same everywhere—here, in China, in Mazatlán, in Los Cabos—you always face challenges.”
Located about 10 minutes from downtown San Miguel de Allende—recognized as one of the world’s most beautiful cities for the third consecutive year—Pueblo Bonito Vantage is the city’s newest luxury hotel. It features 111 guest rooms, 14 suites, and one presidential suite, all designed to combine luxury with the art and cultural heritage of the city.
“It’s an incredible hotel; it’s beautiful,” Coppel said candidly. “I hadn’t seen it before, but I’m not surprised because I know what my team is capable of and the dedication of everyone who worked to make it a reality.”
A Success Story
Since opening the first Pueblo Bonito hotel in Mazatlán on May 31, 1987, Coppel has sought to provide exceptional hospitality experiences inspired by trips he took through Europe after achieving financial success. He recalled seeking advice from a cousin before planning those travels.
“When we made our first million dollars, I called a cousin and asked, ‘What’s the best hotel in Paris?’ He said, ‘The Plaza Athénée.’ Then I asked about Madrid, and he answered, ‘The Ritz.’ On our very first trip, we stayed at the finest hotels in Europe’s capitals,” he said while recalling the journey he shared with his former wife, Letty Coppel.
He added:
“We had just come out of very difficult times. We’d spent years struggling financially, and suddenly money started coming in from a project I did with some Mormons. I thought, ‘This can’t be happening because mathematically it’s impossible that I could have made this much money,'” he said with a laugh.
From that point on, Coppel expanded his hospitality business, first in his hometown of Mazatlán, then in Los Cabos, and now in San Miguel de Allende. He admitted he had never heard of the city until a trip to Rome, where the owner of the hotel where he stayed mentioned it.
“On our first trip to Europe, we stayed at the Hotel Hassler in Rome. The owner, Roberto Wirth, who was deaf, welcomed us and told me, ‘My brother is the director of Casa de Sierra Nevada Hotel in San Miguel de Allende.’ I had to look it up on a map because I’d never heard of San Miguel. I’m from Mazatlán—you have to understand, it’s a place on the Pacific coast that hardly anyone knew back then. Now we’ve arrived with Pueblo Bonito, the best hotel in San Miguel de Allende.”
Hospitality That Inspires Community Support
In 2004, Letty Coppel established the Fundación Coppel, which carries out charitable initiatives in the communities where Pueblo Bonito hotels operate. San Miguel de Allende will now become part of those efforts.
Reflecting Ernesto Coppel’s philosophy that “nothing makes you a better person than generosity,” the foundation plans to support the local community.
“Over the past 22 years, we’ve learned that a community’s true wealth is not measured by what it owns, but by its willingness to help those facing the greatest challenges,” said Letty Coppel.
Through charity auctions, gala dinners, and other fundraising initiatives, the foundation intends to support vulnerable groups in San Miguel de Allende, including patients, older adults, and single mothers.
Handcrafted Luxury
For interior designer Marisabel Gómez Vázquez, who was responsible for creating the atmosphere throughout the hotel, the greatest challenge was designing interiors that truly reflected the spirit of San Miguel de Allende while maintaining a contemporary style.
“The most important thing was creating a project that belongs to San Miguel—that reflects its spirit while embracing contemporary design without losing the town’s roots,” she told MILENIO.
Upon entering the hotel, guests encounter handcrafted woodwork, textiles, and decorative metal accents inspired by the region’s historic haciendas.
“The idea is to create beautiful spaces where guests feel comfortable and embraced. We design for the senses. Sometimes guests don’t even know why they love a place—they simply leave happy and comfortable because of what they see, hear, and feel. That’s the positive hospitality experience we strive for through what we call handcrafted luxury.”
Gómez Vázquez inherited her passion for design from her family. Her father founded Gómez Vázquez Internacional, the architectural firm responsible for the hotel’s design, while her brother, Juan Carlos Gómez Vázquez, led the architectural work.
Source: milenio
