Alila Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Alila Mayakoba sits between the mangroves, lagoons and Caribbean coastline of Mexico’s Riviera Maya. I travelled there to photograph the property as it entered a new chapter, working alongside Persephone Social on the creative direction for the project.
The resulting body of work extended well beyond the architecture. We photographed sunrise and fire ceremonies, time with the Abuelas, the quiet rituals of the spa, chefs working together in the kitchen, food being prepared and shared, and the changing character of the property itself.
What began to emerge was a portrait of Alila through the people, practices and landscape that give it life.
PLACE
Mayakoba has an unusual relationship with its surroundings. Waterways move through dense mangroves, buildings appear through vegetation, and the Caribbean sits at the edge of the property.
Throughout the shoot, I kept returning to that relationship between architecture and nature. Light changes considerably over the course of the day, revealing spaces differently and allowing the property to shift between moments of openness and intimacy.
Rather than document each space in isolation, I wanted the photographs to retain some sense of discovery and of moving through Mayakoba.
RITUAL
Some of the most memorable photographs came from moments that were not primarily about the hotel itself.
We photographed the sunrise ceremony in the early morning, the fire ceremony as daylight disappeared, and time with the Abuelas. These moments brought a different rhythm to the work and connected the photographs more closely to the people and traditions present within the experience of Alila Mayakoba.
The photography became quieter and more observational. Gesture, expression, fire, smoke, hands and the surrounding landscape became as important as the architecture.
STILLNESS
The spa introduced another pace entirely.
Here, I concentrated on touch, texture and movement, and on the relationship between the body and the spaces around it. I wanted these photographs to feel observed rather than performed.
There was a natural visual connection between these quieter moments and the ceremonies elsewhere in the property. Both relied on small gestures and details that could easily disappear if the photography became too directed.
LIFE AROUND IT
Across the final body of work, architecture, landscape and the more conventional rhythms of resort life still play an important role.
But photographing them alongside the ceremonies, spa, cuisine and the people behind those experiences changed the way the property could be represented.
The result became less about documenting a hotel and more about describing the experience of being there.
That distinction is increasingly important to the way I photograph hospitality.
The architecture matters. The design matters. But ultimately, I am most interested in the life that happens around them.
