Isla Mujeres, Q.R. — An Isla Mujeres hotel set to open in coming days has been seized by the state. On Tuesday, Quintana Roo prosecutors secured the Accor-owned property in Playa Mujeres amid accusations of dispossession and corruption.
Newly constructed SLS Hotel on the Isla Mujeres mainland is under investigation by the State Attorney General (FGE) of Quintana Roo. Authorities seized the 498-room Playa Mujeres hotel for alleged acts of dispossession of land and corruption in its building permits. Access to the hotel has been restricted.
The hotel, which is not yet in operation, is owned by the French multinational hospitality company Accor. The Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE) reported in a statement that the complaint arose after an investigation revealed that the company had illegally seized land adjacent to its property.
According to authorities, the company allegedly claimed the land to solve deficiencies in the infrastructure of its project in order to comply with the legal requirements to operate.
“The investigation suggests that SLS Hotels manipulated information in the process of obtaining permits to ensure the opening of its resort,” the FGE said.
State officials said anomalies detected also include a lack of essential infrastructure such as parking and access including emergency exits, elements necessary for the safety and well-being of guests.
“By not having these elements in its development, the company would have incurred in the dispossession of neighboring lands to simulate that they were part of its property and thus justify obtaining permits from the local authorities,” reads the official document.
According to the FGE investigation, SLS Hotels presented the adjacent lands as if the property belonged to them. The allegations of dispossession come after deceiving municipal and sate officials who approved the operating permits.
“The investigation aims to clarify the irregularities that facilitated obtaining permits through alleged illegal acts and to evaluate their impact on the community and on the interests of the local tourism sector,” the FGE reported.
