Editors’ Note

Pascal Dupuis is a hospitality veteran with more than 30 years of experience. He began his career in his home country of France working as a receptionist at the Negresco Hotel in Nice. After working at several other French hotels, Dupuis moved to London in 1993 where he quickly climbed the ranks in the hotel industry, holding managerial positions at properties including Le Méridien Piccadilly, The Sheraton Park Tower and St. Martins Lane, before returning to France as the General Manager of Hotel De La Tremoille in Paris. Dupuis has served as General Manager at some of the leading resorts in the world including the One&Only Le Touessrok in Mauritius, The Leela Kempinski Goa, and The Leela Palace Chennai, which he opened. Prior to joining Andaz Mayakoba, Dupuis served as General Manager for The Address Dubai Marina and The Address Boulevard Dubai. Dupuis is a graduate of Lycée Régional Hôtelier et de Tourisme De Nice | Paul Augier in Nice, France.

Property Brief

Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya (mayakoba.andaz.hyatt.com) is secluded in the private gated-Mayakoba complex, surrounded by tranquil lagoons and lush vegetation with nature trails that guests can enjoy for walking, jogging and biking while listening to the sounds of nature. The 214 guestrooms and suites at Andaz Mayakoba are inspired by nature with open layouts and a color palette reflective of stone, sand and water, flooded with natural light and featuring bright pops of color and refined Mayan decor. Beside its beautiful beachfront, the property offers two outdoor pools, Naum Wellness & Spa, Kimbo Kids Club, El Camaleon Golf Club, four on-site restaurants offering fresh local produce, and 14,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

How do you define the Andaz brand?

Andaz as a brand is really about the sense of place, so we focus on providing guest experiences that utilize the local culture and the local environment. In Andaz, you have two different aspects: you have the city hotels of Andaz, like the one in New York, and then you have the resorts. We have resorts in Costa Rica, Maui, Mayakoba, and Scottsdale, and there are more resorts coming up in the near future. The brand is growing which is great because, for about 10 years, we only had 17 hotels.

Will you highlight the destination of Mayakoba?

Mayakoba is well connected through the Cancun airport and the majority of our guests are from the U.S. There are a lot of direct flights from New York, for example, and the flight is only three and a half hours. We are located 30 minutes away from the airport, so it’s very close. Mayakoba is a destination that’s really growing, and all four of the properties work closely together to promote the destination and highlight shared experiences.

Will you provide an overview of the property?

We have 214 rooms in total at the Andaz Mayakoba. The resort is split into two areas: the lagoon area, which includes the majority of our family rooms and connecting rooms, all which are around the lagoon and right next to the spa. You have a kid’s club, the main restaurant and another restaurant, Casa Amate.

Then there is the beach area which also has two restaurants and a beautiful pool. The beach area is where the majority of our suites, such as our Presidential Villa and our bi-level suites, are located.

Will you discuss the focus on health and wellness at the property?

This is a really important area and, as a brand, Hyatt is focusing more and more on well-being. At Mayakoba, we have an environment which fits very well with this focus so we have a number of yoga, meditation and other healthy activities. We refer to massage treatments as rituals because they all include some type of Mayan cultural ritual, whether it’s cleansing or card reading. We have also modified our food and beverage offerings to be even more healthy. Our chef has created a program called green garden chef’s table which is held in the garden and we are starting to cultivate our own vegetables and salad ingredients. We are trying to be more accommodating for our guests who may be vegan or vegetarian.

We have a great spa manager who is from the Mayan region and is focused on the spiritual journey, and we have great fitness offerings as well.

How has the general manger role evolved?

Over the past 30 years, the role of the GM has changed. Before, it was primarily being the PR person for the hotel who represented the face of the hotel by shaking hands and having dinners and meeting clients. Then it became a bit more of a salesperson role. Now you have to be a guru on every aspect of the job, whether it’s financial, guest relations, food and beverage, wellness, or any other aspect.

We spend a lot of time making sure the marketing is done well and that social media is well-connected with the message we want to give. This is something new that has accelerated over the last five years with the growth of
social media.