A facelift for 12 million

B2B-Talk: Interview with Kevin Wendle

From successful Hollywood producer and tech investor to hospitality visionary: Kevin Wendle has also created something truly cinematic as owner and CEO of the boutique hideaway Esencia.



CC: What does Esencia stand for?

K. Wendle: Definitely not a slick, pompous US hotel. We primarily offer nature, lots of greenery, wildlife with birds, peacocks, raccoons and coatis, iguanas and a spectacular beach with no hotel bunkers in the neighborhood. Everything takes place outside. Privacy and exclusivity are paramount - guests will never have to fight for a sun lounger.


Why did you choose this particular location, halfway between Tulum and Playa del Carmen?

Historically, the area is simply very interesting. Millions of years ago, meteors killed the dinosaurs on the Yucatan Peninsula. The result: geological phenomena and a rich culture - the home of the Mayas with their pyramids, sunken cities and trade routes through swamps and the jungle.


Before you arrived, the Esencia belonged to an Italian duchess who also stayed here privately.

I never met the lady, I just know that her small, charming hotel with its Mediterranean feel didn't do well. The investors didn't want to put anything in it, so I bought the property in 2014. There was no air conditioning in the rooms, electricity and hot water were a matter of luck and there was no fire protection. It took me four years to get everything in shape, I had to rebuild almost everything.


A bottomless pit that you recognized as such too late?

It was a real adventure that cost me a total of twelve million US dollars to get everything as it is today. If it hadn't worked out, it would have become a wedding location or a playground for my friends. If necessary, I would have used it as a home myself.


Some of your guests seem hand-picked - celebrities from Hollywood and the fashion biz, based on their careers in the film and media world and in Silicon Valley ...

Yes, I have a huge network. I was one of the producers of the sitcom Prince of Bel Air with Will Smith, developed The Simpsons, and Beverly Hills 90210 was my show. I also became the co-founder of C-NET, E! Online, the Fox Broadcasting Company and K2 Media. I also lived in Paris for twelve years, learned about hotel design and invested in an architecture firm.


As a hotelier, your next project will take you back to the Grande Nation - a French branch of Esencia!

I was crazy enough to buy a baroque château near Poitiers during the dawning coronavirus crisis - a 150-hectare site with an equestrian center. We are stepping on the gas to complete the renovation as quickly as possible.