The Check-In: Hotel Hércules

Walking past salmon-hued walls into Hotel Hércules’ central courtyard, I felt a little bit like a kid in a candy store. Everywhere I turned it was one photogenic scene after another. A marble statue of the god Hercules, perfectly framing the19th-century textile factory behind it. The Back to the Future-coded clock tower above olive trees dotting the courtyard. And this was just my first impression.

Normally I choose the hotel and let the trip follow, but this stay was born out of necessity. We were doing our Mexico travel a bit piecemeal so we never actually had a return flight. After accessing our options, we determined that the most efficient-slash-cheapest option was to take an hour and a half long car ride to Querétaro from San Miguel de Allende, then hop on a flight the next morning to Tijuana and use the Cross Border Express to walk into San Diego where my mom would pick us up.

I’d never actually heard of Querétaro, which meant I had no hotels in mind. So to the interwebs I went to find a cute/comfortable/affordable spot to crash until our 3 AM hotel departure. I was immediately struck with Hotel Hércules. It was only later that I discovered the New York Times had actually named Querétaro one of the their 52 Places to Travel in 2026, along with a mention of Hotel Hércules itself. It appeared my instinct was right.

Read on for what it’s like to stay at this former textile factory turned boutique hotel.

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An industrial-chic 19th-century textile factory turned boutique hotel and brewery in Querétaro, Mexico.

The architectural transformation of Hotel Hércules was carried out by GOMA, with interior design by Patricia Hirschfield of El Urdido. Given its former life as a textile factory, the designers did an incredible job bringing warmth into the hotel. Furniture and decor feel collected and lean mid-century (think retro radios, telephones, etc). Not really my taste, but I think it works well here. Spaces are further softened by wild, jungle-like plants in patina-heavy mismatched pots.

I love how they’ve used what I assume was equipment from its past as decor. Take the room in the photo above — it felt like an Anthropologie display circa 2015 in the best way possible.

Hotel Hércules has 40 uniquely designed rooms and suites that all lean mid-century, design-wise. We opted for one of the more entry level rooms with two beds that felt surprisingly spacious, thanks in part to the massive ceilings. The tile flooring was a win (you know how I loathe wall-to-wall carpeting), but the beds were on the stiff side. The bathroom read more contemporary, which made the room feel a little disjointed, but I loved the pistachio-colored tile and it was super roomy. If we were staying longer, I probably would’ve opted for a luxe room with checkerboard tile, but I don’t think there’s a bad room in the bunch.

We barely scratched the surface here, but there’s a lot to do on property. First, it’s massive. I thought the building with the clock tower was the back of the hotel, but I walked through it to find another courtyard complete with beer garden (including cornhole, ping pong and foosball), expansive lawn and striking outdoor pool.

I didn’t get a chance to see the spa facilities, but I know they have a whole complex with thermal pools, sauna and hammam that I’d love to check out on a return visit.

As I’m writing this and going through their Instagram feed, I’m bummed that I missed so many other spaces. Apparently on the second and third floor of the clock tower there are these stunning sitting rooms. And there’s also a live music venue. So yeah, my advice to you is to not just spend a total of around 12 hours (including sleep) there.

Hotel Hércules has three restaurants on site: Taberna Hércules (indoor beer hall), Jardín de Cerveza Hércules (outdoor beer garden) and Buenavista (poolside restaurant).

We opted for Taberna Hércules, their laid-back beer hall and really enjoyed the hearty fare — fish and chips for me, bratwurst for my husband. Jeff got a beer, but I was way too dehydrated for that so I went with water and a gold ginger beer in solidarity. Our son seemed to thoroughly enjoy his hot dog, so there’s that. There were only a handful or two of other patrons in the tavern at the time, but learned that later on it would play host to a big World Cup watch party. And sure enough we saw locals (decked out in green and red jerseys) trickling in just as we were making our way back to our room since we had a middle of the night wake up call.

Hotel Hércules seems like a true gathering place for the local community, so expect a more lively atmosphere than some hotels. It was actually pretty quiet when we went, but it seems like the beer hall and beer garden fill up, depending on when you stay. And on that note, there’s unfortunately no room service.

Also, I don’t believe there are any elevators here, so I feel like it would be difficult for a guest with mobility issues.

I’d put this firmly in the boutique hotel category, comfort-wise. I say go into it with realistic expectations that you’re not going to get five-star luxury and you’ll have a great stay.

• The former textile factory turned hotel, gave it automatic character that a newer hotel just can’t replicate.

• The on-site brewery and breadth of restaurant options make this a great choice for beer lovers.

• Despite being in the middle of a neighborhood, the layout of the hotel makes it feel like a world of its own.

I absolutely loved Hotel Hércules. While industrial and mid-century are not normally my forte, I thought the whole thing was very well done. Is this a place I’d travel out of my way for? Probably not. But if I were already in Mexico this would make an excellent stay on a multi-stop itinerary.

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