Media Contact:
Kristen Vigrass / Julia Barnes | The Brandman Agency | 212.683.2442 | firstname@brandmanpr.com
CASA DE SIERRA NEVADA APPOINTS
NARCISO BETANZOS AS RESTAURANTS MANAGER
SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, MEXICO (October 19, 2007) – Betanzos will oversee all three restaurants on the property, including the newly-opened Andanza, the garden-setting Parque, and Limon, scheduled to open in early 2008.
Born in Chiapas, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, Betanzos grew up harvesting corn and milking cows. He studied in the city of Arriaga, preparing for a medical career, until a vacation in Cancun at the age of 13 opened his eyes to the hospitality industry. From that point on, Betanzos was committed to training in hotels and restaurants. He studied at the Instituto de Hoteleria y Turismo in Tuxla, while working at a Chiapas hotel, and at 17, went back to Cancun where he began as a part-time steward at the Westin Regina. A few years later, while waiting tables at The Ritz-Carlton, he met the Belgian ambassador to Mexico, who offered him a position as his butler in Mexico City. There, Betanzos ran the household and planned social events, and at age 20 moved to Brussels when the ambassador returned to Belgium. He learned a bit of Flemish, and saw snow for the first time.
Betanzos was back in Mexico City, working at The Ritz-Carlton, when Hurricane Wilma hit in October of 2006. Out of work because of the destruction, he went back to the Cancun area, where he spent a year as Captain of the fine dining room at sister Orient-Express property, Maroma Resort and Spa. In July 2007, he was asked to go to Casa de Sierra Nevada to train the staff for the opening of the Andanza restaurant. Betanzos loved San Miguel immediately, and was asked to return when his stint ended. Having worked in many of Mexico’s top-rated hotels, Betanzos is delighted to be part of the team at Casa de Sierra Nevada, remarking that he is happy “because I feel like myself here. The people at Orient-Express make me feel important.”
One and a half blocks from the Parroquia and main city square of San Miguel de Allende, the boutique hotel of Casa de Sierra Nevada is a mixture of 16th to 18th century Spanish colonial buildings. Its 32 rooms and suites are spread amongst nine colonial mansions, including a 17th century fort, and the former residence of San Miguel de Allende’s Archbishop in the 16th century. With the hotel’s buildings situated around the town rather than in one location, the experience is akin to living in a beautiful, historic apartment, but with the fresh, new amenities and genuine Mexican hospitality provided by Casa de Sierra Nevada, making for a true cultural immersion. Founded in 1542, the town of San Miguel de Allende is a National Monument of Mexico. Sitting at 6,400 feet above sea level, the cobble-stoned streets of this colonial town are lined with palasios that today are a mixture of personal residences, galleries, restaurants and boutiques.
For more information please visit www.casadesierranevada.com or call 1 800 701 1561.
