Costa Rica’s Small Hotels are Getting Advice from the Experts.

In Costa Rica, “small hotels” are defined as those having an average of only 18 rooms. Considering the amount of tourists who come and go here – a yearly total of over two million – with ever raising standards, many of these hotels are in need of key renovations and guidance if they hope to excel in the tourism industry alongside the Marriotts and Intercontinentals of the country.

Since the “Small Hotels” program has been launched, 150 small hotels have seen some improvements and feel ready to compete with the large, luxurious complexes that are now in vogue in the country. The program, La Federacion Centroamericana de Pequeños Hoteles (Central American Federation of Small Hotels), was first developed in 2003. Its objective is to raise the standards and infrastructure of small Costa Rica Hotels, and that includes establishments with 50 rooms or less.

The Minister of Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, explained: “We cannot think at this point that we are doing well. We are, in reality, badly informed with the arrival of the large hotels, and I would say that on average, it could be better”. He added that the small hotels that entered the program are indeed beginning to see the benefits, but that it has been slow and arduous.

The 182 hotels that participate in the program are located in areas such as Manuel Antonio, Golfito, the Caribbean, La Fortuna, and the Central Valley.

Benavides added that this initiative had allowed for a better service brought by these establishments, raising their quality and competitiveness in the market, while offering better products to the tourists, from special and complementary packages down to little details that can make all the difference. These small hotels, which can be ever so charming, nevertheless did not offer air conditioning, cable TV, good food and any kind of adequate infrastructure. Now that they have made some changes, they are beginning to feel the difference. Of all these hotels that entered the program, 40% have now made some improvements and are reaping the benefits. Out of the 2,700 registered Hotels in Costa Rica, 80% qualify as small hotels.

“The point is to find a good hotel that you would want to go back to, wherever you are in the country”, Benavides said.

So, what exactly makes a hotel good?

According to the ICT (Costa Rican Institute of Tourism), there are certain facilities that are now required and expected by the modern tourist. The rooms should be well ventilated, the beds and the mattresses checked regularly, there should be a desk or small table with a couple of chairs, some decoration such as painting, mirrors, or some flowers, good quality sheets and towels that should be changed after a maximum of two days, the paint work should be fresh and clean, the ceilings should be free of spider webs and the floors should be kept clean, and the windows are expected to have adequate curtains. The rooms should be well lit, with bedside lamps as well as ceiling ones, and they should all have their own bathrooms. Finally, they should be equipped with fans, cable TVs, a full length mirror as well as a smaller one in the bathrooms, a small patio or balcony with a couple of chairs. So, next time you go away, make sure to have your list ready!

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Filed under: Business on July 2nd, 2008