With two Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) hotels under his belt, Richard Houghton, Founder and President of KASA Hotel Collection, is set to become one of the premier luxury boutique hotel developers in the Caribbean and Mexico.
Houghton’s first hotel, KASA Hotel Parota, marked his entry into the burgeoning Tulum area in Mexico, where he sought to position the KASA Hotel Collection as a portfolio of luxury hotels offering professionalism with comfort and value in a boutique (but not trendy) hotel space.
Opening in May, a second Mexican hotel, KASA Hotel Riviera Maya, has already been accepted as a member of the prestigious SLH group which recognizes hotels for their luxury, commitment to service, appeal, choice locations and uniqueness. Both hotels offer ownership and investment opportunities as well.
Developer Houghton has big plans for the group. “We are poised to fill some luxury accommodation gaps in popular tourist areas. The upcoming portfolio of projects includes three more hotels in Mexico plus new developments in Turks and Caicos, Belize, the Virgin Islands and Costa Rica. Our guests have been asking for more locations, and our investors are interested in more opportunities to partner with us. We see our expansion into these new areas as organic growth; we are beginning with opening two hotels per year and growing from there,” he notes.
Houghton is no stranger to the hospitality world. He has built and developed residential units since 2009 for guests wishing to combine their holiday experience with a home in Tulum and has searched out beautiful and less-known areas of the popular resort like Aldea Zama and Puerto Aventuras. His first hotel, KASA Hotel Parota Tulum, opened two years ago, a mix of residential units with a luxury boutique hotel.
“What sets us apart is our relaxed yet attentive service, anticipating needs and striving to surprise and delight our guests throughout their stay. We want folks to feel like they’re staying at a friend’s beach house, somewhere that’s off-the-beaten path, in places where they can be ‘in the moment’ and have experiences that create lifelong memories with new perspectives,” Houghton explains. “We also spend a lot of time training our staff to create a truly bespoke holiday with carefully curated guest experiences unique to the area and local culture,” he continued.
This philosophy is what drives the KASA Hotel Collection in its move forward in both Mexico and the Caribbean. In addition to Parota and Riviera Maya, three hotels will open in the Tulum area over the next two years. The Caribbean projects are planned for early 2021. Each development will offer investment opportunities along with resort accommodations.
“After that?” Houghton smiles. “Our intent is to offer a product that has high appeal. As we refine our hotels in each country, we will be searching out other areas where we feel we meet a need and where our product will deliver a benefit and shine. We want our KASA to be your KASA.” And, that’s exactly the tag line for the KASA Hotel Collection, “Mi KASA es tu KASA.”
