Alexandra Karam has wanted to open a place to provide great experiences for travelers since she was a little girl, but after studying hotel management, doing internships, and graduating from university, she still didn’t feel any closer to knowing how to achieve her dream. After going on the road for seven months to India and Nepal, and staying in hostels in Europe and Asia, she returned to her native home of Mexico and realized that the community spirit and thoughtful design that made hostels in other places feel so alive to her were severely lacking in her home country—thus the Casa Pancha project was born and Alexandra, along with her sister Francesca, worked together and opened their first hostel in the heart of Mexico City in September 2019, with the goal to bring people together and provide unique experiences for all guests. I have to say, after staying here myself for Day of the Dead, that I have never felt so welcome and cosy in a hostel. When my week was over, I didn’t want to leave. Whatever has been created here needs to be bottled up and reproduced around the world. Here is Alexandra and Francesca’s story.
What we cover in this episode:
- Alexandra’s path to becoming a hostel owner
- Why Alexandra prefers hostels to hotels
- Why people should visit Mexico City
- Emphasizing design and customer experience in the hospitality industry
Meet Alexandra:
Follow Casa Pancha on Instagram here
Check out Casa Pancha’s website here
