DATA SHEET
Architectural design: João Boto Caeiro – RootStudio
Interior design: Carlos Couturier—Grupo Habita; Root Studio
Furnishings and lighting: custom made on design by the architects
Photo Credits: Andrea David, César Béjar
Designed by RootStudio, with Grupo Habita, OTRO Oaxaca is in the center of Oaxaca’s capital and gives the hospitality experience a new meaning by giving visitors a fresh way to appreciate this area’s majesty. Its space is sophisticated and practical, paying homage to local craftsmanship, styles, and materials.
Whether you are going down to the underground spa, sharing meals on the scenic terrace, or kicking back in a multi-story suite, you are invited to slow down and go with the flow, embrace the unknown, and discover Oaxaca in a new way, Mexican style. The hotel faces the church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán and its pedestrian square. Behind its historic façade, a contemporary complex is concealed, capturing the vitality of the city through a series of courtyards and public areas made for moments for relaxation and socializing among guests and locals. The site plan was inspired by the nearby Mitla archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has a cross-shaped walkway in the center and a 40-meter corridor built with wood from reclaimed railway sleepers that connect and divide the space at once, inviting exploration.
Everything, from the furniture to the linen, was designed specifically for OTRO Oaxaca and handcrafted by local artisans using local materials to make functional yet sophisticated spaces through earth tones and choices abounding in personality.
The furnishings complete the architecture, evoking the city’s vernacular aesthetics. They give character to each space with their diverse textures through the use of materials like wood, upholstery, suede, handcrafted resins, and metals. “Everything about the hotel is 100% local: the team, the materials, the design process, and the management,” says João Boto Caeiro of RootStudio.
The vibrancy of the common areas is paired with a sense of serenity and elegant simplicity in the 16 guest rooms. There is a clear connection here between the furnishings, accessories, and finishes in the wooden tables made by local carpenters, the green limestone floors, the soft quilts, the rust-colored suede curtains, and the clay pieces handmade in the city’s workshops.
For an even deeper feeling of peace, the underground Otro Mundo spa opens access to “another” world. Proceeding down the steps, the sun from the patio slowly disappears, revealing a peaceful darkness that holds a Turkish bath, an ice bath, and a scenic heated circular pool, inspired by the local cenotes, topped by a majestic brick dome with an oculus opening to the sky above.
Other spaces open to the public include the roof terrace with a small swimming pool, the restaurant on the ground floor, and a gathering space called The Bunker, which brings together locals and travelers in shared meals and cultural exchange.
