Social Security is bidding for hotel service in the metropolitan area in order to house medical professionals in charge of the emergency care of covid-19.
The hotel facilities are required to guarantee privacy, comfort and security for the medical professionals staying there and the use of all the facilities by the Guatemalan Social Security Institute, except for the common areas, which must remain closed due to health security protocol.
Corporacion Camino Real, Radisson, Hyatt, Marriot, Adriatika, Hilton Garden and Holiday Inn are some of the large hotels that have suspended operations in Guatemala due to the health and economic crisis affecting the world.
As a result of the covid-19 outbreak, the Real Intercontinental Hotel suspended operations from April 1 and according to its managers, the reopening will depend on government regulations.
Because the facilities do not meet minimum quality standards, 79% of registered accommodations in Guatemala are classified as not recommended.
The Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT) reported that most hostels, pensions, small hotels and other hotel facilities in the country are considered as not recommended because "they do not meet quality standards and are not suitable for domestic and foreign tourists to visit."
After two years of negotiations, the Terrace Hotel located in San Salvador, has become a new affiliate of the US chain Best Western.
After reaching an agreement with the Best Western corporation, which includes investment in adapting the infrastructure of the facilities, the name of the hotel has changed from Hotel Terraza to Hotel Best Western Terraza Plus.
An urban resort style five-star hotel called The Santa Maria has opened in Panama City, following an investment of around $50 million.
Representatives from the urban resort The Santa Maria stated that the hotel offers 182 luxury rooms, which have an area that ranges between 40 m2and 300 m2. The infrastructure, which required a global investment of $50 million, has two restaurants and next April they plan to open a third.
A development company has started in Rivas the construction of a 1,800 square meter hotel with 24 rooms, two meeting rooms and other amenities.
Without disclosing the total amount of the investment, representatives of Gran Victoria S.A. stated that on February 1 construction started of a hotel that will be located in the center of the city of Rivas, which will have a swimming pool, restaurant and a basement.
Hilton Hotels has announced the development of nine hotel projects in the region, which together will add approximately 1,300 rooms to the hotel chain in Central America.
From a press release by Hilton Hotels:
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announces the expansion of its Latin American footprint with new deals signed in Central America. Now, Hilton has a pipeline of nine hotels across five countries in Central America, representing five of Hilton's brands: Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Curio Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inn by Hilton.
Between 2010 and 2015 the number of tourist accommodation establishments went up by 73%, and the total number of available rooms increased by 53%.
Data from the Central American Integration System (SICA) indicates that in 2010 Nicaragua registered 8,880 rooms and had 771 business establishments used to accommodate tourists.At the close of 2015, there were almost 14 thousand rooms and 1,057 establishments such as hotels, hostels and cabins.
This year 11 new hotels are expected to open, adding 696 more rooms in different parts of the country, with an estimated investment of $149 million.
Details from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) show that there are 11 establishments in the process of completing paperwork with the entity to declare themselves of tourist interest.
In partnership with Cayalá Group the Marriott International chain has announced for 2018 a 160 room hotel in Guatemala City and another hotel with 115 rooms in the Cuidad Cayalá complex in zone 16.
The hotel to be built in Guatemala City will have 160 rooms and will operate under the brand Marriott Hotel, while the second hotel will have 115 rooms and will be of the brand AC Hotel.Both facilities will be built by Cayalá Group and operated by Marriott International Corporation.
Up to December 2015 2.559 hotels with 47,452 rooms were registered in the country, of which 70% are located in the city and at the beach.
Market figures have not yet reached the levels recorded before the crisis of 2008, when the Costa Rican Chamber of Hotels counted 2,599 hotels in operation, spread across different areas of the country, but are instead concentrated in the large metropolitan area and coastal areas.
Agrisal Group invested $10 million in the purchase and remodeling of Indigo Hotel in Santa Ana, which from now on will operate under the brand Holiday Inn Express.
The 100-room hotel is located in Santa Ana and is focused mainly on the segment of business travelers.
Prunera Luis Alvarez, a member of the board of Grupo Agrisal told Eleconomista.net that "...
New buildings, the arrival of new brands, remodeling and expansion of facilities, are part of the changes in the hotel sector in the Guatemalan capital.
Most of the brand names that announced plans to expand their facilities or open new stores are focused on hotels for business travelers and convention tourism. La Quinta Inns & Suites is one of the hotels which announced its opening in Zone 10 this year, while the Marriott brand announced its alliance with Grupo Azur to open a franchise of this hotel in Zone 10.
The Hilton Garden Inn hotel has started operations in the west of the capital, where they already operate other hotels focused mainly on business travelers.
The new hotel is located in an area where other hotels under the brands Crowne Radisson, and Barcelo are already operating. The new 115-room hotel is owned by Developer Parque La Sabana DPS SA and managed by Elite Hotels & Resorts Costa Rica.
For the first time in two years, Panama will achieve a hotel occupancy rate of 60% during the days of the Summit of the Americas, which will have an economic impact estimated at between $50 million and $80 million.
The visit which will be made by 35 presidents of the Americas and 25,000 people who make up their delegations have changed the landscape, at least for a few days, of the Panama hotel sector, which expects to achieve an occupancy rate of at least 70% from 6 and April 11.