Thompson Hotels Appoints Executive Team for The Cape, the Brand's First Luxury Resort in Mexico

The hotel team consists of global industry veterans as well as professionals immersed in the Los Cabos hospitality landscape

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. July 28, 2015

LOS ANGELES, CA. July 28, 2015 — Thompson Hotels proudly announces the seasoned executive team leading the charge at The Cape, a Thompson Hotel. The first Mexico-based property from the luxury lifestyle brand, the 161-room boutique resort recently opened on the shores of Los Cabos' Monuments Beach on June 26, 2015. Spearheaded by General Manager Eduardo Segura, Director of Sales and Marketing Jorge Villarreal, Director of Food and Beverage Carlos Echaiz, and Spa Director Katia Chavez, the veteran team boasts decades of combined experience in the hospitality industry, a unique understanding of the Baja destination, and an intimate knowledge of the luxury travel sector.

General Manager Eduardo Segura's lifelong passion for hospitality was ignited with a scholarship to study abroad in Ithaca, NY at the prestigious Cornell University. Upon graduating in 1982, Segura began a 16-year career with the Camino Real Hotels group, working across the brand's numerous Mexican properties, including Camino Real hotels in Mexico City, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Las Hadas, and Monterrey. Following his passion for extreme sports and nature, Segura later relocated to Los Cabos to help open and co-manage Cabo Dolphins & Cabo Adventures, a land and sea expedition company dedicated to showcasing the abundance of natural wonders in the destination. His comprehensive understanding of the Los Cabos tourism market—gleaned both as a professional working in the region and as a local resident—later brought him to the Los Cabos Tourism Board, where he served as director from 2012 until 2015. In early 2015, he was invited to lead the opening team at The Cape. "I've always been excited by the prospect of redefining what upscale tourism means for the Los Cabos market," says Segura. "The Cape is shepherding in a new era of Los Cabos luxury."

A protege of the late visionary hotelier Edward Steiner, Director of Sales and Marketing Jorge Villarreal helped redefine the concept of luxury accommodations in the Los Cabos market through his work at the Presidente Inter-Continental, as well as the One&Only Palmilla. Villarreal was the opening director of sales and marketing for Mexico and Latin America at the One&Only Palmilla, where he served from 2000 through 2010. A graduate of hotel management from the Universidad Iberoamericana, with a supervised program from Cornell, Villarreal has also held the director of sales and marketing role at Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Cancun and was the corporate director of sales and marketing at the Villa La Estancia Riviera Nayarit in Nuevo Vallarta and Villa La Estancia Los Cabos Resort & Spa, providing him with an overview of the greater Mexican hospitality market. Villarreal returned to Los Cabos in 2015 and now serves as an integral part of the executive team at The Cape.

Director of Food and Beverage Carlos Echaiz brings with him a worldly outlook, holding degrees in both hotel and food and beverage management from the Universidad de Chile and having opened luxury dining concepts throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. His early career includes the opening of the first Ritz-Carlton property in South America, The Ritz-Carlton Santiago, the reopening of the InterContinental Santiago in 2006, and the opening of the Rosewood Mayakoba, Riviera Maya in 2007. Trading solid ground for open waters, Echaiz joined Celebrity Cruises to manage the culinary teams aboard the cruise line's luxury fleet of ships, including the Eclipse, Silhouette, and Reflection. Echaiz additionally spent two years as the director of food and beverage at the Gansevoort Turks and Caicos, rounding out his luxury portfolio. Now at The Cape, Echaiz brings his culinary knowledge to the Baja region, working with local farms and fishermen to showcase the distinct flavors of the destination.

After completing her degree in business administration from Universidad de Occidente in 2002, Spa Director Katia Chavez pursued her passion for wellness and hospitality, joining the One&Only Palmilla in 2003, where she met her current colleague, Director of Sales and Marketing Jorge Villarreal. Prior to joining The Cape, Chavez was the spa manager for several Secrets Resort & Spa and Dreams Resort & Spa properties, including Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa from 2009 to 2011, the world-class Dreams and Secrets spas by Pevonia in Huatulco from 2011 to 2013, and most recently the Secrets Puerto Los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort.

About The Cape, a Thompson Hotel

The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, debuted in June 2015 and is located in the Cabo San Lucas region of Baja California Sur, Mexico, situated along one of the most desirable stretches of white sand in Los Cabos: the world renowned surfers' paradise known as Monuments Beach. The all-new luxury hotel features 161 guestrooms, all with unobstructed views of the Sea of Cortez and the destination's famed icon, The Arch—a stunning natural phenomenon of granite carved into an arch by centuries of wind and sea exposure. The Cape is the first Thompson hotel to open in Mexico—and outside of an urban locale—and it effortlessly blends the upscale urban aesthetic synonymous with the brand with a distinct 1960s Baja-meets-Southern-California vibe. Guests will enjoy two pools, an infinity pool with swim-up bar and another built within a natural rock formation found on property; an intimate spa and fitness center with a private outdoor cabana for treatments with an ocean view; and a diverse array of chef-driven food and beverage destinations. The hotel team boasts an extraordinary lineup of talent, including lauded Mexican architect Javier Sánchez of JSa Arquitectura, celebrated interior designer Marisabel Gómez Vázquez of Arquitectura de Interiores, and distinguished Mexican ceramicist Jose Noe Suro. The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, is owned by Vertex Real Estate Investors and Pentz & Partners, and managed by international, multi-brand lifestyle hotel company Commune Hotels & Resorts.

About Thompson Hotels

Founded in 2001, Thompson Hotels is an international hospitality company that offers sophisticated luxury to its discerning clientele. The Thompson portfolio of lifestyle hotels includes The Cape in Los Cabos; Gild Hall and Smyth in New York City; Thompson Chicago; Thompson Toronto; Belgraves in London; and the recently opened Thompson Miami Beach. Thompson Hotels also has multiple new projects in development, including Thompson Playa del Carmen, The Beekman in Lower Manhattan, Thompson Nashville, and Thompson Seattle. For more information, please visit www.thompsonhotels.com.

About Commune Hotels & Resorts

Formed in October 2011, Commune Hotels & Resorts is an international, multi-brand lifestyle hotel management company which manages and operates Alila Hotels and Resorts, an Asian luxury resort brand; Thompson Hotels, a luxury lifestyle brand; Joie de Vivre Hotels, a collection of independently branded boutique hotels; and tommie, a new, micro lifestyle hotel brand launching in 2015. The San Francisco-based company manages more than 40 hotels and resorts across Asia, North America, and Europe, and is expanding its portfolio internationally. For more information, please visit www.communehotels.com.

About Vertex Real Estate Investors

Vertex Real Estate is a Mexican fund manager specializing in real estate, including the acquisition or development of hotels, residential, retail, office, and industrial projects. With USD $450m+ AUM, its team has been involved in more than 100 transactions related to assets worth USD $6.5bn+ and has accumulated more than 100 years of combined experience. For more information, please visit www.vertexre.com.