Alexander Hotel: Modern Luxury in Mexico City

In one of capital’s premier business towers, lovingly referred to as “The Dorito” because of its resemblance to the snack chip, sits Mexico City‘s newest hospitality option. The Alexander Hotel provides boutique luxury for mostly a business crowd, but should be considered by travelers of all stripes for its excellent dining and drinking, as well as a hyper-modern design that’s both sleek and comfortable. 

The hotel’s 26 rooms face either the gorgeous Chapultepec Park, whose section 2 is just steps from the hotel’s entrance, or the city, showcasing the modern skyline of Las Lomas, one of the city’s most affluent residential districts. Each has a bathroom wrapped in a curvaceous L-shaped glass barrier, which, when the privacy curtain is opened, gives the rooms a feeling of expansiveness. This is in addition to the glass-doored closets and floor-to-ceiling windows. 

All rooms include luxurious amenities like fancy Mexican snacks, quality alcohol, fine bathrobes, and a leather bag you can borrow for a shopping venture. Handcrafted Italian leather chairs and small tables for two offer space to both relax and work, if needed. While the rooms don’t vary wildly in terms of size, if you want a full living room, dining table for 6, or massive egg-shaped bathtub, opt for one of the Master or Alexander suites. 

The hotel has a small but well-equipped gym with weights, treadmills, and stationary bikes, as well as a small spa. The spa has no on-site staff, but facials and massages can be arranged with wellness professionals who will come in for the service.

Dramatic, large-scale black and white photographs line the walls of the hallways and dining room, reflecting local fashion and Mexican heritage. The Caviar bar, where a breakfast buffet as well as a la carte options are served in the morning, doubles as a swanky evening cocktail bar with suspended neon lights zigzagging above the bar, and tables tucked into low-lit corners. 

The menu far surpasses the expectations of a hotel bar. Chef Anna Sofia Serrano has designed a menu that spans cuisines but leans into Italian dishes more than anything else. This is one of the few places in the city where you can get fresh caviar any day of the year, and Chef Serrano has several clever ways of preparing and serving it. The truffle pasta is delicate as well as rich, and the Wagyu steak’s charred edges give way to a bright pink center with black peppercorns providing a pop of spice. 

The cocktail menu, designed by Italian bartender Jonathan Botello, is particularly good and is right up on the level of some of the city’s finest mixology. The Napoleon has a hint of muskiness and the tartness of green apple, the Vesper is laced with lemon and the bitter-sweetness of the vodka that gives it a powerful booziness, and the Ipanema has an almost imperceptible hint of licorice from the cachaça, with the mellow sweetness of the apricot balancing the sharpness of the white wine. Each libation is more complex and interesting than the last. 

Alexander Hotel has the benefit of being off the tourist circuit a bit. While it’s close to Polanco and Las Lomas and the great fine-dining restaurants of both of those neighborhoods, it’s far from Roma and Condesa, where many new, happening restaurants and bars are located. Just know that you will need to give yourself a cushion of time to get to and from dinner in Roma, especially in the early evening traffic that sometimes clogs Reforma Avenue. 

That said, the hotel’s location right next to the Chapultepec Park makes delicious morning walks an obligation and exploration of all the park’s museums and attractions as easy as putting on your tennis shoes and heading out the door. Within “The Dorito” are several other excellent dining options, including the famed Carmela y Sal, so if you don’t want to go far for the evening, you can still have a great meal. 

While hotels in Roma and Condesa have their hipster charm, and in Polanco a certain posh nostalgia, Hotel Alexander is modern, fashionable, the kind of hotel you might find in New York or Chicago. The service, food, and location complement its modern design and clean lines.

Check rates online at Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda.com, or Hotels.com.