Ana Leticia REYES

OWNER, CASA GOLIANA

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

After years in cinema production, Ana decided to open a cozy bed and breakfast in the beautiful Colonia Roma in Mexico City, where she has lived all her life. Casa Goliana is the product of Ana’s and her husband Sergio’s architectural and aesthetic dreams, and is one of the lovely places we stay on our Mexico City trips!

Ana also loves arranging flowers, and always has beautiful arrangements scattered around Casa Goliana!

Follow Casa Goliana here.

1. WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND TO BE THE MOST REWARDING OR INSPIRING ASPECT OF OWNING A BOUTIQUE HOTEL?
It fills me with pride to see how our guests appreciate the house and its decor. However, without a doubt what gives me the most satisfaction is hearing from the guests about how much they enjoyed their stay. This reflects to me the great work that our team at Goliana does... the effort of everyone who works with us is absolutely essential to our guests’ comfort during their stay. I would say the cherry on top has been the awards and distinctions that we’ve been awarded over the years. These remind us of our commitment to self-improvement and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone.

2. WHAT LED YOU TO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY? WHEN WAS THAT? DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW YOU WANTED TO OWN A HOTEL IN MEXICO CITY?

In 2014, I knew the time had come to reinvent myself in a certain way; I had been working in the film industry for a lot of my life, but around five years ago I knew it was time to do something else. This is when I came up with the unexpected idea to establish a bed and breakfast. Sergio (my husband) and I began looking for the ideal place, until we found the location that is Casa Goliana today: a Porifiana house from the tun of the twentieth century in the lovely Colonia Roma. Sergio was in charge of the architecture and I of the interior design. When we finished renovating, I stayed in charge of the operation of this project, and to this day it has filled me with great satisfaction.

3. WERE THERE ANY OBSTACLES YOU HAD TO OVERCOME TO ACHIEVE THIS DREAM?

It was a real challenge to start a business without having any idea of how the hospitality industry functions - it required a ton of work. However, I have been very fortunate. I’ve always felt that what we know today as Casa Goliana has come about in a magical way; this business has been such a natural part of my personal journey and I’ve taken full advantage of it. Having Marina Hallebeek as our first manager was critical to the formation of Casa Goliana as it is today. Then Jazmin Angulo, with her great organization and leadership of the team, has been able to continue this project in just as meaningful a way.

4. WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WOULD STEAL FROM THE ROOMS OF CASA GOLIANA?

The lamps and the Loredana toiletries in the bathrooms!

5.WHAT DOES A DAY OFF LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

I have a weekend home in Valle de Bravo, where I have more time to cook and spend time with my family and friends. I tend to like to walk around the forest there and explore the little town. Now my free time is dedicated to supervising and tending to the flowers and landscaping around the hotel. On Sundays on my way home to Mexico City, I usually imagine the bouquets I am going to make with the flowers I have cut! When I get home, despite my exhaustion, I am always happy with an armful of flowers.

6. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION? WHY?

This is such a difficult question because I have so many favorites! I love discovering new places, even within my own country it seems like there are endless new places! Vietnam is one place that fascinated me; I loved the food there! It seemed so interesting the combination of French heritage and Asian culture, I found a refinement that I hadn’t seen in any other country in Asia. I will never forget how spectacular Halong Bay was, and the seafood I ate in a rustic boat that took us around the bay.