Casa Malca | Latinta

Casa Malca, its name already tells a lot, it is how Lio Malca shares his home and
love for art, in the shape of a very special hotel. The property's area—including
200 meters of beachfront—as well as the site's landscape and history were crucial
in developing the remodeling and interior design project.
The site is located in Tulum's hotel zone near the limits of the Sian Ka'an reserve,
whose name means “heaven's gate” in Mayan. The reserve comprises a large,
protected natural are. The proximity to the reserve, the isolation from the rest
of the area's tourist settlements and the more than 20,000 square meters of
space make Casa Malca an exclusive, remote and dreamlike place. The
remodeling project has been planned in stages. The original feel of the
landscape has been recovered, while new sculptural elements are added that
blend with the environment in a suggestive and sometimes enigmatic way.
The architectural remodeling project carried out by Latinta—Alejandro Bahamón
and Fernando Clamont—sought to restore the character of the original
construction as much as possible. The spaces are characterized by their broad
proportions, high ceilings, wide walls, white walls and the polished cement floor.
The operation made it possible to adapt the house to be used as a hotel,
separating common areas from rooms, turning each room into a master suite and
creating a restaurant/bar with an ocean view.
In order to make the most of the original house, a double-helix staircase was
built adjacent to the rear façade. It leads to the deck, which functions as a
terrace for events. Moreover, the original outline of the swimming pool was
reused. It comprises a large outdoor swimming pool and an underground
swimming pool that doubles as a steam room, resulting in a hotel complex that
is unique in the area.
The interior design is a veritable feast for the senses and is based on a truly
eclectic idea. Without a doubt, a key feature of the project's final look is the
personality of the owner himself. Lio Malca, an entrepreneur and art collector
based in New York, understood the boundless potential of the site for creating
an atmosphere that has come to life in Casa Malca little by little. His vision is
apparent in every part of the project, mixing the inherent properties of the
space's monumentality and severity with industrial art pieces, Persian rugs, rustic and modern furniture as well as unique pieces like the train traffic light at the
entrance, old dental chairs, shoe lasts and antique dolls.
Yet without a doubt, the most important part of the project is his vast art
collection. Every corner of Casa Malca boasts a contemporary art piece, from
Haring's bar—which is completely covered in a pattern designed by the artist
owned by Lio Malca ( its part of two containers of 40 feet, that are now in an
exhibition at la Nave in Ibiza, another place where Lio shows part of his
collection for three years) —to works by Basquiat, Kaws, Vik Muniz, Holton Rower
and Kenny Scharf among many others.
Casa Malca is a project in a state of continuous evolution. It's not a static place;
change has been part of the site's very concept since its inception. Just as this
old, abandoned mansion— that the local rumors say was built for the famous drug
lord Pablo Escobar—was rescued and modified to serve as a luxury hotel, new
areas with different purposes are being created each year. It is a playful and
dreamlike place where imagination is the limit and where new elements are
discovered with each new visit.