You and Eduardo were construction men — houses, condos, concrete. You knew nothing about hotels. One afternoon while having a tequila in the lobby, you and Eduardo asked yourselves, How difficult could it be to run a hotel, it is like a big house is it not?” That question, asked casually after a hard day’s work, became the first sentence of a 35-year story that now includes Hotels with Michelin Star restaurants, Forbes Five Stars, and AAA Five Diamonds. When you stand in the lobby of Grand Velas Los Cabos today, what do you think about your adventure?

When I stand in the lobby of Grand Velas Los Cabos, with its open-air design framing the Sea of Cortés, the light moving across the marble floors, and the quiet rhythm of the space, I don’t think first about what it became. I think about how it started. Our approach to the hotel business was simple, almost naïve: how difficult could it be? But that question gave us something very powerful, it removed hesitation. We approached hospitality without preconceptions, and that allowed us to build something different. What I feel today is gratitude. That moment created everything that followed, not just the hotels, but the culture behind them.

The first month Velas Vallarta opened, occupancy was three percent. The second month, six. By any rational standard — by every number on every spreadsheet — you should have sold the building, taken the loss, and gone back to construction. Instead, you and Eduardo got on planes to Canada and the United States and started knocking on travel agency doors to explain a concept nobody had asked for. What did you say in those rooms — and what did it feel like to be told no, again and again, before anyone in North America believed you?

At Velas Vallarta, when we started, we were not an all-inclusive hotel. But we did have something unique – our rooms were not rooms, they were large suites; our design included a large and unique lobby, not like a condominium lobby but as a five-star hotel lobby; and public areas allowed us to have restaurants and public areas like any five-star hotel. It was difficult at first. We were trying to explain a product that didn’t fit into an existing category – large suites, full service, quality food. In those meetings, he kept it simple: come see it. Most people said no. That’s expected when something is unfamiliar. The important part was staying consistent in how we presented it. Once a few partners experienced the property in person, the conversation changed.

As business grew, we really started to think about growing into the hotel business. We thought about designing a hotel with unique characteristics, an all-inclusive hotel that would appeal to the high end clientele. That’s when we built the first Grand Velas, in Riviera Nayarit. We planned for every room to be a suite of 1000 sq feet or more, restaurants that could compete with any restaurant in any capital of the world, and service that customers of the high end hotels were used to, which is why we offered personal concierge service for each suite. We also thought that we needed to attend to the needs of the whole family – kids, teenagers, couples – so the concepts of kids clubs, teens clubs and first class spas were added as essential.

Eduardo passed away in November 2023. You had been building this together for 32 years — he was the vision, you were the architecture, and the line between the two was never quite clear because you were both always in the room. The morning after the funeral, you had a company to run, 5,000 employees to lead, and properties in four destinations to operate. What happened in you on that first morning — and what did you say to the team?

The morning after Eduardo passed, I was thinking not only about him, but about everything he had helped shape, and the scale of operation that it required. What I told the team was simple: we continue, exactly as he would expect us to. There is a responsibility that comes with operating resorts of this size and complexity, thousands of employees, guests arriving from around the world, experiences that must feel effortless but require constant coordination behind the scenes. What changed in me was the understanding that continuity is not passive. It requires presence, clarity, and a deep respect for what was built.

You proved something the global hospitality industry considered structurally impossible: that a luxury all-inclusive can operate two Michelin-starred restaurants — fully included in the nightly rate — without destroying either the culinary integrity or the business model. Every serious hotelier in the world told you that the economics of Michelin and all-inclusive were fundamentally incompatible. Walk us through how you made the math work — and what you had to sacrifice to get there.

Our vision from day one was to create restaurants that would achieve and maintain the highest culinary standards. Food, creativity and presentation comparable to that of top restaurants in world capitals. Name your favorite specialty cuisine – Mexican, French, Italian, Asian, it’s exquisitely prepared by award winning chefs. Cocina de Autor at Grand Velas Riviera Maya was the first restaurant in the world that’s part of an All-Inclusive that won the AAA 5-Diamond Award.

Then in 2024, Cocina de Autor at Grand Velas Riviera Maya and Grand Velas Los Cabos were awarded a MICHELIN star, making Velas the only all-inclusive resort company with dual MICHELIN-starred venues. This year, it was renewed and Cocina de Autor Riviera Maya was honored with the prestigious MICHELIN Guide Service Award, recognizing the team’s seamless blend of fine dining and heartfelt hospitality.

Seeing both locations successfully retain their MICHELIN recognition demonstrates that it’s possible to combine world-class cuisine with the warmth and inclusivity of a luxury all-inclusive experience. This milestone speaks to our ongoing mission of redefining luxury hospitality and providing unparalleled dining experiences for our discerning guests.

Grand Velas Los Cabos is now the only resort in the world to hold simultaneously a Forbes Five-Star rating, AAA Five Diamonds, and a Michelin Star — all within an all-inclusive model. When that third distinction arrived and the trifecta was complete, what did you feel was finally settled — a question that had been open for 35 years?

We are thrilled to receive these distinguished honors. The achievement reflects our unwavering dedication to providing unparalleled guest experiences and maintaining the highest standards of luxury hospitality. As a family-owned company with deep roots in Mexican culture and tradition, we take immense pride in showcasing the warmth and authenticity of Mexico’s hospitality while delivering world-class service that honors our heritage.

You said something publicly that most luxury hoteliers would never allow themselves to say: “The worst mistake we can make is to lower rates. We prefer lower occupancy over mixing two types of clients in the same product.” That discipline — protecting the guest experience at the direct cost of the revenue line — requires a kind of institutional courage that is genuinely rare. Who in your organization pushes back hardest when you hold that line, and how do you win that argument every time?

Ah, their perspective is not wrong, it is simply focused on a different horizon. The way we resolve it is by recognizing the integrity of the experience defines the long-term value of the brand. If you compromise that, you may gain in the short term, but you lose something much more difficult to rebuild.

Today alongside the GMs and Sales Directors, we continue to add value to a traveler’s stay so that the rate is adequate for all the inclusions.I It has become a cultural identity of all of us.

Grand Velas Los Cabos sits in Baja California — BajaTraveler’s home territory. Our readers know that coastline intimately, they drink the wines of Valle de Guadalupe, they eat at Fauna and Animalón, and many of them have consciously left the all-inclusive world behind years ago. They associate it with a guest profile and an experience that feels incompatible with the way they now travel. Make the case — directly, personally, and without the language of marketing — for why a BajaTraveler® reader should walk through your doors.

I understand that skepticism, because historically it was justified. The all-inclusive model often prioritized volume over experience. We invite guests to come without assumptions and walk the property, sit in the restaurants, speak to the staff, and observe the details. What you will find is not a system designed for efficiency, but one designed for care. We are not asking guests to change how they travel, we have changed how the model operates.

Velas Resorts has been investing in sustainability for over 23 years — solar panels, reverse osmosis, organic composting, turtle protection programs — before it was required, before it was marketed, and long before it became a competitive differentiator. Most companies discover sustainability when a consultant recommends it. Eduardo was doing it in 2001 because he believed in it. What did he understand then about the relationship between a hotel and its environment that the industry is only now beginning to catch up to?

Eduardo understood something very fundamental, that a hotel does not exist independently from its environment, it is an extension of it. At that time, these decisions were not framed as sustainability; they were framed as responsibility. If you are going to build in a place, you must also preserve it. If you depend on a community, you must also support it. What the industry is now recognizing is that these are not separate initiatives, they are essential to long-term viability.

You have described Velas Resorts as a company in permanent renovation — not just of its physical infrastructure, but of its concept of what luxury means. You invested over 30 million dollars renovating Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit because it no longer fully expressed what the brand had become. Most hotel owners protect sunk cost. You demolished bathrooms. What is the version of Velas Resorts that you are building toward — the one that doesn’t exist yet — and what has to change to get there?

Luxury continues to evolve. The version we are moving toward is one where every element, design, service, gastronomy, feels cohesive and necessary, not inherited. The new design at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit centers on creating brighter, calmer spaces that feel intimately connected to the natural beauty distinct to Riviera Nayarit. The goal is for guests to feel an immediate sense of serenity, comfort, and understated luxury from the moment they step inside. The renovated suites, all larger than 1,000 square feet, feature a sophisticated palette of sand, beige, cream, and warm wood tones, complemented by subtle green accents inspired by the surrounding landscape. Natural materials, including polished stone, wood paneling, textured upholstery, and organic fabrics, create a harmonious balance between sophistication and tactile comfort. Local craftsmanship plays an integral role, with regional artistry reflected in carefully selected textiles and woodwork that bring an authentic sense of place to each space.

Eduardo called the company Velas — sails. A sail is only useful when someone decides where the wind is blowing and someone else makes sure the canvas holds. For 32 years, you were the person who made sure the canvas held. Now you are the one deciding the direction. Where are you sailing that Eduardo always wanted to reach but never got to — and where are you going somewhere he never imagined?

Our ongoing commitment to elevate the guest experience means we are constantly raising the bar, leading the way in the hospitality sector. But even as direction evolves, our commitment to quality stays the same – to the people and to doing things in a way that feels true to the Mexican culture that shapes us.