Hotel Amparo

Beyond the bustling mercados in the heart of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, waits Hotel Amparo—a fresh alternative to the city’s traditional mainstays.

To bring to life this boutique hotel’s eclectic, old-meets-new aesthetic, we developed a flexible brand system that aims to capture the warmth, discovery, and calm found inside its textured, storied walls.
Designed while on staff at Principle.
An aerial view of the custom-engraved brass key fabs.
A system of logos and seals designed for Hotel Amparo.
A variable system of seals was created to mirror the eclectic, collected interiors of the hotel.
A vector image of brand language on a green background, with the text: In the heart of San Miguel de Allende waits Hotel Amparo, a small piece of paradise in the word’s most charming city.
A view of the hotel's courtyard, facing the lobby and custom wrought-iron entry gate.
The grand wrought iron gate that stands between the lobby and courtyard houses a hidden “HA” monogram, leaving something to be discovered.
A view of the hotel's lounge area with an eclectic mix of art and furniture.
A custom Hotel Amparo pin on the lapel of a manager.
A dual-sided welcome card rotating on a wooden table.
A bilingual welcome card for greeting both English and Spanish-speaking guests.
An aerial view of the Hotel Amparo stationery and print system, including letterhead, envelopes, business cards, notepads, key fabs, coasters, and pencils.
A close-up of the custom emerald-green wax seal joining the flap of the yellow hotel envelopes.
A close-up of the Hotel Amparo logotype letterpress printed onto the light green letterhead paper.
An aerial view of some of the Hotel Amparo stationery items, including the letterhead, notepad, and pencils.
A close-up of a wooden menu board engraved with one of the Hotel Amparo seals.
A grid of Hotel Amparo matchboxes, showing different sides of the box's design and custom yellow match tips.
An aerial shot of the Hotel Amparo matches, alongside a brass check presenter with a pink rose laid on top.
A custom Hotel Amparo umbrella.
A view of the courtyard at Hotel Amparo.
A view of the hotel’s main courtyard.
A view from the outside of Hotel Amparo's café.
A view of the café interiors at Hotel Amparo.
A close-up of custom Hotel Amparo coffee mugs.
A man walking through a vibrant café with a coffee cup in his hand.
A Hotel Amparo coaster on a linen tablecloth with silver- and glassware surrounding it.
A few years later, we helped the Amparo team develop a sub-brand for the all-day cafe and bar they introduced on the premises—named after the owner’s red-headed, red wine-loving grandmother, Margaret.
A scattering of paper coasters from the hotel and hotel bar.
A system of logos and seals designed for the hotel's bar, Bar Margaret.
An additional system of seals and icons were created to mirror the eclectic aesthetic of the Hotel's parent brand.
A well-stocked bar on a green wall with various paintings.
Since the launch of their brand in 2019, Hotel Amparo went on to be named the second-best hotel in the world by Travel + Leisure with additional praise from Forbes, Condé Nast, and Surface Mag.
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© 2015–2025, Drake Preston.
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