A bill being prepared by the government proposes granting tax exemptions and other incentives on investments made in hotel infrastructure and other activities in the tourism sector.
Among the incentives included in the bill are a decrease in the payment of income tax, elimination of import taxes and"... charges on the sale of land for hotel construction."
The US budget accommodation group G6 Hospitality has announced that within five years it will build ten hotels in Belize, Costa Rica and Panama.
From a statement issued by G6 Hospitality:
DALLAS, Jan. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- G6 Hospitality, known for its iconic economy lodging brands, Motel 6 and Studio 6 in the U.S. and Canada, today announced that it is extending its footprint to Central America.
A new hotel by the Holiday Inn Express chain starts operations in the capital of Honduras, in the San Rafael Plaza mall.
From a statement issued by Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG)
IHG announces the opening of a new hotel by the brand Holiday Inn Express, which will have 108 rooms, an outdoor swimming pool, a 24-hour gym and a business center. Guests will also be able to make use of free transport to the the nearby Multiplaza mall.
In a partnership with Central American businessmen five Park Hyatt hotels will be built in the capitals of Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and two in Honduras.
From a statement by the Hyatt Hotels Corporation:
"Hyatt Hotels Corporation today announced that a Hyatt affiliate has signed a master development plan with LATAM hotel Corp. to develop 10 Hyatt Place hotels in Central America and Mexico and that Hyatt affiliates have signed franchise agreements with LATAM hotel Corp. The five hotels are: Hyatt Place Managua in Nicaragua, Guatemala Hyatt Place in Guatemala City, Hyatt Place San Salvador in El Salvador, and the Hyatt Place San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa Hyatt Place in Honduras .
The hotel chain will invest $11 million in opening a 125 room hotel within the Altia Business Park in San Pedro Sula.
The project, will be developed by Grupo Karim's and its opening is scheduled for the last quarter of 2015. "The property is located in the northern part of San Pedro Sula, within the Altia Business Park which undoubtedly is the first smart city in Honduras," reported Latribuna.hn .
The resort in the Caribbean of Honduras in which $98 million has been invested will open in early 2014.
The project is located in the Bay of Tela and has a golf course, a five-star hotel, spa and other areas . "The important thing is the impact it will have on the community, as more than 400 people will work on the project, most of the area, and I think the resort will bring great benefits to this region," said Camilo Atala, president of Indura .
The hotel franchise La Quinta Inn & Suites is building its first hotel in Central America in the city of Tegucigalpa.
The project will be called LQ Las Cascadas and is expected to open in late 2014.
Latribuna.hn reports: "Hoteles La Quinta is one of the largest hotel franchise companies, in addition to being owners and operators in the United States, Mexico and Canada, offering Business Class services with an innovative idea that distinguishes them from other hotels ".
There is a growing trend among hotel chains to buy international franchises in order to improve their management.
For example, in Costa Rica, the Ramada Herradura changed its name to Wyndham Herradura following an investment of $1 million last December. In 2011, the Gran Hotel Costa Rica transformed its brand, changing its name to Gran Hotel Costa Rica Ascend Collection.
The hotel chain InterContinental Hotels Group announced the signing of two contracts for Holiday Inn Express hotels in Managua and Tegucigalpa respectively.
In total the two properties represent an increase of 220 rooms for the Holiday Inn brand family in Latin America and the Caribbean, where there are currently 18 Holiday Inn Express hotels and 24 Holiday Inn hotels.
The hotel chain La Quinta has announced an agreement with the Honduran Grupo Santos to open eight hotels in the region, starting with an establishment in Tegucigalpa, to open in 2014.
San Pedro Sula, Comayagua, Choluteca, and Roatan are other Honduran cities where La Quinta plans to have hotels.
The capital of Nicaragua, Panama and Guatemala are also on the list of cities which will have establishments belonging to the U.S. network.
Grupo Karim's has began construction of Altara, the first technology park in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, which includes a shopping mall and a hotel.
The President of Grupo Karim’s, Yusuf Amdani said that in the future the project will include construction of a residential condominium and a hospital.
The business center is adjacent to Altia, the first technology park in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Grupo Karim´s has announced an investment of $15 million in a service-oriented shopping center, which includes a seventy room hotel.
Kathia Yacamán, marketing director at Altia, said the Altara mall, on two levels, will be built on an area of 21,500 square meters, and the hotel Altia Place Hotel will have 70 rooms on eight levels.
Construction of the center will generate 200 direct jobs and is expected to be in operation by the end of next year, the executive added.
Two separate hotel projects have been announced in the Honduran capital and in San Pedro Sula, with an investment of $45 million.
Fernando Paiz Andrade, president of the Latam Hotel Corporation, said that the Hyatt Place will be built in the exclusive area of paseo Los Próceres in Tegucigalpa, at a cost of $15 million.
Other hotel investment by Latam Hotel Investments Corp, a subsidiary of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, were announced in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
A report by the Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero summarizes the main areas that travellers use to qualify a hotel as good or bad.
The report entitled "#Hotelfacts or how to add value to a hotel stay", summarizes the research in the form of some recommendations that any hotel can apply to aspects directly related to improving the customer’s experience, and to help to increase competitiveness.
With the first payout of a $15.9 million from a syndicated loan worth $24 million, construction of the second stage of the tourism project in Honduras will begin.
The banks, Ficohsa, BAC Honduras, Ficensa, Rural Development Bank in Guatemala and Panama's Banco Pichincha had already approved a syndicated loan of $24 million to finance the tourism project.