El Salvador is starting a housing development between subdivisions, residences and apartments, as well as commercial construction with hotels with different capacities and amenities.
CentralAmericaData's Commercial section provides an up-to-date list of public and private construction projects that have submitted Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) to the respective institutions in each country.
Adapting spaces in the restaurant area, selling themselves to tourists as a clean and safe establishment, are some of the strategies that hotel sector businessmen plan to apply in order to adjust to the new commercial reality resulting from the health emergency.
The spread of covid-19 has forced health authorities to restrict the mobility of people and to close several establishments, with hotels being one of the most affected.
Following the spread of covid-19 and the restrictions placed on people's mobility, the country's hotel sector warns that there is a risk of bankruptcy if a financial rescue plan is not implemented.
Managers of the Salvadoran Association of Small Hotels of El Salvador (Hopes) claim that hotels and the tourism sector were among the first to receive the economic impact of the crisis resulting from the health emergency, and will be among the last to recover.
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."
With 76 beds, a restaurant and 146 parking spaces, the hotel Suites Terraza Imperial has opened in zone 13 of the Guatemalan capital.
The hotel is being promoted as an ideal establishment for business travelers and for those who visit the capital of Guatemala for medical treatments.
Elperiodico.com.gt reports that "...Terraza Imperial is a hotel with executive focus, and is luxurious, comfortable and accessible, a concept that complements the services needed for short stays for business trips or long stays for those seeking medical treatment, for example."
Hotel renovations and the opening of new establishments are planned next year in Guatemala, in a market where the occupancy rate is around 60%.
Despite the fact that the occupancy rate has not exceeded 60% in the last two years, growth of the hotel market in Guatemala continues, especially in the metropolitan area.In this location, the areas of greatest demand continue to be those near the road to El Salvador, Cayalá and the sector near La Reforma Avenue.
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.
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.
Three out of four hotels reported not having shown an improvement in their operations in 2015.
Results from the study "Tourism sector 2015, challenges to overcome, "prepared by the Association for Research and Social Studies (ASIES), underscores the need to modernize industry, improve strategies for promotion and attracting tourists (50% of the hotel respondents claimed to have no website).
The rate of annual growth of the sector has been estimated at 3%, and to date there are a total of more than one thousand hotels with 14 thousand rooms.
Most hoteliers in Nicaragua agree that growth has been very positive, but they are aware of the need to accelerate the speed with which the sector is developing in order to compete with other destinations with a higher level of sophistication and development in this service.
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.
Hoteliers have denounced the unfair competition and are demanding that regulations and monitoring be put in place for rental housing for tourism on the coasts.
The hotels in the beaches of San Juan del Sur are the most affected by the boom taking hold in rental housing for tourists, an activity on which taxes are not paid and no regulation must be followed.
Although since 2011 the construction of hotels has shown a downward trend, 23 new projects requested a declaration of interest in order to start operations in the country.
Figures from the Construction Chamber show that between 2011 and 2013 the total square meters approved for construction of new hotels dropped from 140,670 m² to 51,975 m². However, it seems that the sector us beginning to recover, as there are 23 projects that were declared of interest by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) that are under construction or have received approval to start work.
Small hotels can not compete with the low prices used by big international chains in the sector to attract customers.
Entrepreneurs in the tourism sector in destinations in Manuel Antonio, Quepos and Aguirre are demanding urgent action by the government to halt what they call unfair competition, which coupled with the low influx of tourists in the area and the absence of a strategy for tourist attraction, is leading small hotel companies to bankruptcy.
Tax incentives for the construction of hotels in the interior of the country are behind the increase in the number of operating permits issued since the implementation of the law in 2012.
With up to six years to start their projects, investors interested in developing hotel infrastructure in the interior of the country have until 2020 to benefit from the tax incentives which include total exemption from import tax, including transfer tax on goods and services (ITBMS), for a period of 20 years for the purchase of equipment, furniture, fittings and equipment used in the construction and equipping of the complex.