Centro hotel shut down, owners facing charges
Mérida, Yucatán — For various infractions, city officials have suspended 500 businesses this year, the most recent one being Mansion Lavanda, a lavender-clad hotel that allegedly operated without proper permits.
The director of Public Works, Aref Karam Espósitos, said the downtown hotel was closed Saturday because the operators have neither an operating license, a land-use license for construction nor a license to operate the restaurant that operates inside the hotel.
Affixed to its grand facade are numerous suspension stickers and long stretches of brightly colored tape that make it clear the building is now off-limits.
The 30-room luxury hotel, facing Parque San Juan on Calle 64, is new and evolved quickly into a stately residence. As recently as March, the structure appeared to be a derelict casona available for sale.
Owners face criminal charges for ignoring suspension seals that went up Nov. 8 and in September, says the public works official. INAH as well is pursuing a federal complaint, according to Diario de Yucatán.
During the crackdown, the Department of Tourism and Economic Development relocated guests to other hotels in the city.
According to Diario de Yucatán, the owner of the hotel is a real estate company, but the names of the owners were not published.
With information from Informat Yucatán