In this context, Travel2latam had the opportunity to speak with María Florencia Arenaza, General Manager of Los Sueños Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort and Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belén.
What are the main characteristics of the property and what audience are they aimed at?
I represent two hotels that are similar but very different, especially in where they are located. The first is Marriott Costa Rica Hacienda Belén, which is 10 minutes from Santa María International Airport. It is an old coffee plantation and is in a place where coffee is grown with very good access to the tourist centers of the city, the Poás Volcano area and different coffee plantations. It has guests from the best worlds, both corporate and vacation. This hotel has very good rooms for events and meetings, and it is themed around coffee. In fact, if you go you will enjoy coffee that has been grown right around the hotel.
An hour and a half from Hacienda Belén, you will find Los Sueños Marriott. Located on the central Pacific, it is the closest beach to the capital, San José, located in the rainforest on the green coast of Costa Rica. When you talk about Costa Rica you think of exuberant plants, fauna, biodiversity. This hotel is right there. It also has a golf course, and there are monkeys, toucans, limpets and sloths around. Everything you can see while playing golf is magnificent. The hotel is on a bay with a volcanic sand beach and has 5 restaurants and several lounges.
What are the news and innovations in terms of properties and sustainability?
Both were recently remodeled, both their rooms and living rooms. That gives it both a technological and wellness upgrade. In addition, we help a lot to the local communities where we are located, because we want to be change managers. Generally the people who work, especially for Los Sueños Marriott, live nearby, so we help through NGOs. We make donations, clean beaches, and all our associates and collaborators are very aware of this. We also invite our guests to do beach cleaning. Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belén is the first hotel to have solar panels. That is very innovative for energy savings and we always work between the two hotels to achieve greater savings and greater awareness.
On the other hand, we have a program where we weigh and measure everything that is left over from our kitchens to try to reduce that waste every day. We have gone zero plastic from hotels, where everything is glass, and we have water dispensers in both properties. There is also a project, the Ruta del Sueño, that tries to improve accessibility from the route to the complex in work with the community, because it is their place. This comes a few years ago because it involves government funds, but we are very happy with all the achievements obtained.
What are the specific markets for you?
In the case of Los Sueños, 75% is the American market due to its proximity, we have a local market, some from Europe and also a Canadian market. That is why it is so important to attend FITUR and show our products, which, being colonial, we believe Europeans will really like. As for Hacienda Belén, it is 70% American, and mixes the corporate, leisure, and group segments, which is very important.