We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kendall Inman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kendall, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Yes. Everything is in the details and it’s the little things in hospitality that can matter the most. One of my gifts is the ability to understand guests expectations and exceed them. There is a story behind every decision that made Jungle Keva what it is today.

In Mexico (especially Tulum) the majority of developers don’t save trees and aggressively destroy flora and fauna to erect 18 unit condominiums with no regard to what came before them. We wanted to honor the land before we even broke ground, so we consulted a local shaman named Avelino to perform a sacred ceremony to bless the land and ask its permission to build upon it. 70% of the original vegetation was saved during construction. This ensures that anyone who visits Jungle Keva is always in direct conversation with nature. We have wild toucans visit us, Yucatecan orioles that nest and other curious wildlife that likes to pop in.

A daily practice at Jungle Keva is also smoking the space with Copal which is an ancient tree resin that the Mayans used to purify, cleanse and it just so happens that the smoke safely wards off mosquitos.

I wanted people to fall in love with Mexico the same way I did and part of my mission as a hotelier is to encourage guests to get off the beaten path and explore all that this amazing place has to offer. I get a lot of pleasure out of recommending guests to special experiences that I’ve personally vetted. The best tacos, best cenote to visit, best beach club, best tamales, best fruit market, the family run churro cart…the list goes on.

Kendall, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

5 years ago I purchased a 1000 square meter piece of land in the jungle of Tulum, Mexico. My vision was to create an exotic space that would mirror the spectacular natural essence of Tulum, while fostering ultimate health and vitality through wellness workshops, community events and transformative retreats. With my architect and engineer Jesus Acosta, we purposefully selected local building materials derived from Mexico and relied on the veteran craftsmanship of the Mayan community workforce to construct our vision for an impelling example of sustainable living and tourism.

Jungle Keva is a place where you have to duck under trees to get through a path, wake up to sunlight and fall asleep to the soothing melodies of the jungle. We even have two adorable rescue mascots: Mama Gata and our dog Chloe.

It is said that you will never understand the power of your true legacy. A single life-enhancing contribution to one individual can often initiate a residual effect. That person may go on to positively influence a dozen, or even a hundred other lives.
This is precisely what our place aspires to represent – a legacy with a ripple effect that stretches far and wide. Within our sanctuary, we are devoted to shedding light on each client’s personal power amidst an ecologically friendly atmosphere. Our mission is to plant seeds of awareness so that our guests may be motivated to nurture themselves as well as our planet to ultimate health.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Yes. We were required to pivot with the onset of the covid climate. Like many small business owners we experienced a labor shortage and inability to find reliable staff to help us execute our vision. There were several actions we took to adapt to the challenges and maintain the integrity of our business.

We eliminated the need of a receptionist and installed an electronic keypad in our main entry point. This allows guests to do a self-check in and they can even get into their individual lodges as we provide a coded lockbox outside each lodge with their keys.

Our new model allows me to stay in very close contact with our guests via WhatsApp messaging. This has proved to be more powerful because guests can safely request information, services, and support of any kind. As a sole proprietor I’m able to respond quickly and efficiently in a time sensitive manner. This has elevated our guests experience because they feel more seen and heard. I’m also utilizing other local entrepreneurs who own small businesses to provide goods and services that our guests desire.

We are no longer running a small restaurant in our hotel which used to be open to the public. That space is now available for any guest to use. Our chef’s kitchen is fully equipped for a quick family breakfast, private chef buyout and other experiences.

Closing our restaurant allowed us to move our business into a more exclusive channel and now we’re booking more private property buyouts because of it. For example: family reunions, bachelorette and bachelor weekends, boutique weddings, yoga retreats, executive retreats, etc. Jungle Keva’s new model works great because it addresses guests Covid safety concerns and gives them the option to self contain within their party and always have a comfortable haven to return to.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I funded the initial startup of the business two ways:

1. I liquidated my retirement fund that was sitting in the stock market and this proved to be a smart move because I did this right before a market crash. Now, instead of an empty stock account I own a beautiful and thriving business.

2. I was very concerned with not having enough operating capital or occupancy for the first year. I used the IndieGogo crowdfunding platform to presell, engage future guests and encourage them to pre-commit to a stay or experience at Jungle Keva.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://junglekevatulum.com/
• Instagram: @junglekevatulum
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/junglekevatulum/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcnY6WVUa5I

Image Credits
Cesar Bejar Leandro Bulzano