Tourism companies have denounced underspending in the budget for international promotion of the country and assert that the official figures for hotel occupancy are not real.
Industry representatives argue that the hotel occupancy rate published by the Tourism Authority merely represents a sample of some large hotels in the capital ", while data from hotels in the interior of the country are not even taken into account in the statistics.
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.
An announcement has been made that the Asian hotel company Six Senses has bought the hotel Aqua Wellness Resort, located in Tola beach on the Pacific coast.
The air link with the capital is one of the reasons behind the increase in the supply of rooms in the province, a number which is expected to rise to 3,000 by the end of the year.
Currently the Tourism Authority of Chiriqui is running a pilot scheme to improve the quality of the hotels in the province, since most are rated at three stars. At the end of 2014 only 700 rooms offered 5-star amenities and average costs range between $80 and $300.
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.
Seven new establishments with high quality personalized service will add 291 rooms to the hotel inventory with its opening in tourist areas and in the capital.
There are currently 45 boutique hotels and the arrival of another seven is expected soon, some of which are already under construction and others are awaiting the appropriate permissions to operate.
While occupancy rates and average prices continue to fall, the Panamanian hotel market is preparing to increase its supply by another 1,200 rooms at the end of the year.
The Panamanian Association of Hotels (Apatel) reports that in recent years there has been a 209% increase in the number of rooms available in the country, in contrast to demand which has only grown by 5% annually.
An announcement has been made that the Blue Bay hotel chain is negotiating with a group of investors to operate a tourist resort consisting of a hotel, a golf course and a beach club on the Pacific coast.
It is expected that by July 1, 2015 the Spanish chain Blue Bay will be fronting a resort in Coronado, in the Panamanian Pacific. The hotel chain already has a presence in Panama and hopes to continue expanding.
At the end of 2014 110 hotels were operating in the main tourist city of Nicaragua, where three new establishments plan to open to the public during the year.
Tax incentives granted by the Nicaraguan government have allowed employers in the hotel sector to increase their investment in Granada, which in 2014 received 521,000 tourists, according to figures from the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism.
In the Gulf of Papagayo the government of Costa Rica has already granted 35 areas in concession, which occupy almost 90% of the total area to be developed.
At the moment nine resorts are operating, three are under construction and it is expected that design plans for two more will be submitted this year.
Three hotels are expected to start operations during 2015: the Paradisus Papagayo Bay Resort, with an investment of $90 million, the Marriott Papagayo, with $67 million and the Wyndham Resort Papagayo YU, with $22 million. Authorities in the Gulf of Papagayo Tourist Pole pointed out that besides the three projects formal presentation of the designs and the start of procedures to build a hotel and a residential complex is also awaited.
The Hilton hotel chain has opened a 108 room hotel of the Hampton brand in downtown Panama City.
From a press release issued by Hilton Worldwide:
Hampton, of the Hilton hotel chain, continues its international expansion by announcing the opening of its first hotel in Panama. The new Hampton Panama has 108 rooms, the new building constructed by Hilton Worldwide, joins the world record of more than 1,900 hotels under the name Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites and Hampton by Hilton.
Predictions are that the office vacancy rate in Panama City, currently 33%, could reach 45% in 2016.
Following that under usage prevailing in the office market rental rates have dropped by up to 30%. In the case of hotels, they are also experiencing this phenomenon, the vacancy rate has fallen by 50% and in turn nightly rates have decreased by 28%.
An announcement has been made for the 2016 opening of a Fairfield hotel by Marriott, a 130-room hotel in San Salvador, situated next to La Gran Via shopping center.
From a statement by Marriott International:
Marriott International has announced its plans to open a hotel with 130 rooms under the Fairfield by Marriott brand in El Salvador. The hotel will be located next to La Gran Via shopping center and close to companies such as Xerox, Citibank, the World Bank, Bayers and Siemens. The hotel will serve as an excellent accommodation choice for frequent business travelers. The hotel will be developed by Dueñas Hermanos Ltda. And managed by Marriott International under a long-term agreement.
The industry is looking to regain ground in the country with the expansion of four chains of hotels by the end of 2016.
La Quinta Inns & Suites, Hyatt, Four Seasons and Marriott hotels are to be added to the supply in the Guatemalan market. Zone 10, Quetzaltenango and Antigua are some of the locations that will host these projects.
Peter Duchez, director of the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT) told elperiodico.com.gt that "...
American and European tourists who visit the country are most likely to choose this type of service, where in the province of Cocle alone it represents 95% of the hotel supply.
Following the global economic crisis which began in 2008, tourists are looking for a hotel service that allows them to enjoy a more comprehensive service, paying a fixed fee for everything.