Environmental champion Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas is taking over management of Botanique Hotel & Spa in the Mantiqueira Mountains of Brazil in 2021, marking the eco-conscious brand’s debut in the Americas.
Located between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the mountain retreat was the brainchild of husband and wife Richard and Fernanda Ralston Semler when it opened in 2012, setting out to achieve a distinct sense of place through the use of local materials, craftsmen and designers to create a hotel that was uniquely Brazilian. Indigenous jacaranda wood, natural stone from the nearby river and sustainably-mined chocolate slate were used in the original construction, as well as 120-year-old timber beams reclaimed from farms in Minas Gerais.
In addition to the seven existing suites and 13 private villas dotted around the 700-acre estate, Six Senses will add 14 modular villas and 37 branded residences next year, positioned around the site and prefabricated to minimise ecological impact.
At 1,200 metres above sea level, the area is a popular retreat among the affluent residents of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, who come to bask in the mountain scenery criss-crossed with rivers and streams; geological features that will inspire the Six Senses Spa and its immersive wellness offerings. Before it opens next year, Six Senses will add a new swimming pool, a Grow With Six Senses kids’ club and an Earth Lab to showcase the environmental and sustainable initiatives taking place at Six Senses Botanique.