We at Women of Today received a letter recently from Jake Inman telling us about his mother, Kendall — Owner of the Jungle Keva Tulum Hotel. He told us her inspiring story and also shared with us the incredible hotel she started in Tulum, Mexico. We hope you enjoy reading his heartwarming submission as much as we did.
Dear Mrs. Camila Alves McConaughey,
I hope this email finds you safe and surrounded by your loved ones. My name is Jake Inman, and I am a proud senior at the Fordham University Drama Program in New York. As an artist and actor, I was so incredibly moved by your story, resilience, mission, and contribution to your community on the Women Of Today blog. After reading your story, and the stories of other women I felt an urge to share my mom Kendall Inman’s story with you. For as long as I can remember, my single mother has supported me in every way. Spiritually, mentally, and physically, and has given me the great gift of inheriting her integrity and honoring the value of chasing a dream.
The past two years involved my mother chasing her dream. She desired to open a boutique hotel/lodging in Tulum, MX where she planned to offer unconditional hospitality, create an emerging staple of the community, provide delicious home-cooked meals, provide empowering daily yoga practice, and even ensure 70% of the property is in a vegetation state, and plant additional trees. To say the least, it is a very special place, and these goals were definitely accomplished. Jungle Keva Tulum was her pledge to build something that would outlive us both, and I think it’s going to leave behind a great legacy.
My mom has set an important example for our community of Tulum, MX on how to build properties in direct conversation with nature. It’s a place where you have to duck under trees to get through a path, wake up to the sunlight, and fall asleep to crickets and bats sprinkling the air with flaps and delight. As you walk through the site, you mind paths of ant colonies and can peek up through the trees to sometimes see mama toucans. We even have three adorable mascots: a mama kitty, her kitten, and one dog. But if you close your eyes… its as if the wind can carry you away to vastness. That’s the beauty of the natural world. I see her work as an inspiring triumph for how we should build anything and I’m just really happy to be her son.
I wanted to ask if you would consider my mom and include her in your Women of Today website. She is one of the most driven & focused human beings you will ever meet. She racks in the business, organizes retreats, manages a full staff, teaches yoga, AND fosters new-found relationships between the guests every week. She is a super-mom, super-human, super-everything. In the first 6 months that she was in business, Jungle Keva Tulum reached #1 on TripAdvisor for Specialty Lodging out of 200+ hotels in Tulum, MX. I am so proud of it. The dedication, limestone laid, food, love, and soul are unmatched to any other hotel you’ll ever visit in the Yucatán Peninsula. I can guarantee it. The moment you pull up to this hidden village of global citizenry you feel at home. It’s this continual growth that inspires me to chase harder, live fiercer, and seize my vision as an actor.
We were really grateful to be featured in Dwell Magazine and I think this article captures the perfect essence of her project. Also this one in Business Insider is really great too.
Most recently, we had to close our hotel temporarily due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. While it is sad news, we still consider ourselves fortunate and are remaining positive. I think that this type of publicity would be really great for my mom during these unprecedented times, and I would love to get her story and project out there so that anyone interested in a unique getaway will have something really extraordinary to look forward to. If you’re interested in emailing my mom, Kendall, you can reach her here: kendallainman@gmail.com.
Women of Today Inc. is in no way affiliated with Jungle Keva Tulum. We have no responsibility for these services, nor do we have the authority to make any warranty or representation regarding their standard.