In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Hernan Binaghi, General Director of W Costa Rica Reserva Conchal and The Westin Reserva Conchal, All-Inclusive Golf Resort & Spa.
What are the feelings of participating in an event like FITUR?
FITUR is one of the fairs where you cannot miss coming, because here you will meet the entire world of tourism. We have always been obviously accompanying the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, because we sell a destination before selling any of our properties and I believe that the growth that Madrid has had and the visitation to FITR is increasingly exponential.
What is the most relevant thing your hotels offer today?
I manage the Western Reserva Conchal, which is an All-Inclusive Golf Resort & Spa, and the W Costa Rica, a luxury hotel with 9 restaurants, more than 6 bars, 400 rooms next to the beach surrounded by nature, also made up of 40 bungalows.
With these properties we are located in the province of Guanacaste, which is the northern Pacific of Costa Rica, where we have the characteristic of having two climates; rainforest from May to November and then dry forest, which there are very few in the world. It is a very interesting region, with a lot of contrast. The two hotels are in a shell reserve where there is a lot of biodiversity. There are more than 3,540 hectares that can be visited to have that contact with nature. We also have a center where we explain about all the animals that pass through there.
Furthermore, Costa Rica is recognized for being a green country, not only for its nature but for all the initiatives in this regard. 98% of the country's energy is renewable, and there are no countries in the world that have those numbers. Our country has more than 32 national parks, 26% of the protected territory, with a great commitment to the environment, sustainability and communities. We have an apiary with more than 5 million bees and more than 60 hives.
What initiatives arise specifically from the hotels you manage?
Regarding our properties, obviously we need to nourish ourselves with raw materials, so we have created a garden managed only by women to be able to produce, for example, edible flowers. Plus, everything guests eat ends up in our recycling center. Not only do we recycle glass and plastic, but we transform everything that is organic into soil through compost. Planting something in soil generated from compost is incredible. There are many initiatives that we do, I invite you to come and educate yourself in Costa Rica, in everything that is its green part.
It is a versatile property because it adapts to any situation, right?
I really like that the guest can come and have their own little house when they are with us. The hotel allows you to really enjoy nature, being surrounded by it, with wild animals that live in their habitat but come to greet you. The W Costa Rica is a unique product based on its design in Costa Rican culture. When you arrive at the hotel you pass by a marimba, which is a typical instrument of our towns, you will also find a Guanacaste Forest in our designs and a bar with more than 8,500 recycled bottles that make up a lamp simulating the tail of a flying hummingbird. We really took a lot of inspiration and brought down those cultural components to create a unique experience.
What are the main issuing markets?
Obviously due to their proximity, the United States and Canada are. We have almost 85% of North American guests, and the Guanacaste airport, which is one hour from the hotel, brings most of the flights from the main US cities. From Europe, we have companies that arrive through San José, and it is a market that visits us but is not as strong, and obviously the Costa Ricans themselves also stay in our facilities.