Author Archive for Mark Chesnut
Road Warriors Gird Up With Gadgets
Business travelers are using technology like never before. But it’s where they come from rather than where they visit that influences their choice of gadgets, hoteliers say. Smartphones, tablets and other gadgets have changed the way people travel. But according to hotliers, how travelers use technology, and what they demand when traveling, depends on the [...]
Latin Trade’s Best of Travel
Along with religion and politics, travel is a topic that produces very strong opinions. Whether they’re raving about the best airplane seat or ranting about the worst hotel restaurant, nearly every business traveler is well equipped to launch into a list of their best and worst travel experiences. In Latin America — as in the [...]
Panama’s Travel and Tourism Boom
Investment in tourism and hospitality in Panama is at an all-time high. What does that mean for investors? Panama’s current and future infrastructure projects read like a wish list for any global travel hub: airport expansion, new roadways, a new rail system, thousands of new hotel rooms, large-scale event venues and fast-growing mega-malls. But Panama’s [...]
Guatemala City: Firsthand tips for visiting Guatemala’s capital
Insights and advice are provided by Juan Antonio Nino, president of Active Capital Reinsurance, Panama City, Panama, and by Monti Castaneda, research coordinator for the NYU Cancer Center, New York City, USA, and a pro-bono collaborator with Naturopathic Medicine for Global Health, Princeton, USA. Latin Trade: What do you like best about traveling to Guatemala [...]
San Jose, Costa Rica: Ask the Concierge
Located in downtown San Jose, Costa Rica, the four-star Hotel Presidente is close to restaurants, shops, offices and cultural sites. There are five categories of rooms, including junior suites measuring 1600 to 2100 square feet and grand spa suites of 2150 square feet. Concierge Johnatan Acuna offers suggestions to make the most of your visit [...]
Costa Rica: Executives offer tips on business travel in the Costa Rican capital.
Information and advice supplied by Claude Alcaras, SMAM Mutuelle delegate, Osa Peninsula Costa Rica; Julio Gamero, vice president of Avianca TACA Regional Airlines and executive president of AeroGal in Ecuador; Jose Luis Lopez, president of Comercio Europeo CESA S.A. of Madrid. Latin Trade: What do you like best about traveling to San Jose de Costa [...]
Monterrey, Mexico: Ask the Concierge
The 229-room Sheraton Ambassador Monterrey Hotel is centrally located near the Macroplaza, one of Monterrey’s main geographic hubs. The property has a health club, outdoor pool, tennis and racquetball courts, plus 11 meeting rooms and a Grand Ballroom that accommodates 750 people. Concierge Andres Santiago offers his tips for making the most out of a [...]
Monterrey: First-hand tips for visiting Mexico’s northern business hub.
Insights and advice from Carlos de Leon, general manager of Hotel Catedral in Puerto Vallarta and a Monterrey native; Jose Luis Anaya, the Guadalajara-based owner of Photofolio, a store in Monterrey; and Mark Ackerman, national sales manager for Hertz Corporation in Mexico City. Latin Trade: What do you like most about traveling to Monterrey? [...]
Buenos Aires: First-hand tips for visiting Argentina’s Capital.
Insights and advice from Francisco J. Cerezo, partner and chairman of the Latin America Practice at Foley & Lardner LLP; Nigel L. Page, senior vice president of the Americas at Emirates; and Paulo Piovano, president of Techint Inc., an Argentine who lives in New York. Latin Trade: What do you like most about traveling to [...]
The Evolution of Hotel Security in Bogota
When General Orlando Salazar retired from his military position nearly a decade ago and became general manager of what then was the InterContinental Tequendama, the norms for security at five-star hotels in Colombia’s capital were decidedly more intense. “Ten years ago, we had to have three layers of security,” Salazar recalled. Arriving guests had to [...]
Ask the Concierge
The Hilton Buenos Aires is one of the largest hotels in the fast-growing Puerto Madero district. The 417-room property centers around a seven-story glass atrium lobby, and it features more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space. Concierges Charles Budden and Sebastian Blaser offer tips for making the most out of a visit to this [...]
Meet Me in Latin America
With a growing number of hotel rooms and event venues, cities around the region are promoting themselves as desirable destinations for conferences, trade shows and expos.
Best of Travel: Less is More
Edgy décor, gourmet restaurants and upscale amenities may draw accolades and a well-heeled clientele to Latin America’s posh hotels, yet the most powerful hospitality brands are turning their sights on less luxurious lodgings.
Chile: 2,600 Miles of Discoveries
Visitors will find everything from colonial grandeur to modern efficiency in South America’s economic powerhouse, where most tourist areas emerged unscathed from the February earthquake.
The Stars Still Shine Over Acapulco
In 1946, Hollywood star Rita Hayworth touched down on the glittery shores of Acapulco Bay, turning a small but stylish hotel called Boca Chica into her home base as she filmed “The Lady from Shanghai” with actor/director — and then-husband — Orson Welles.
The Evolution of Education
As globalization, recession and the near-implosion of the financial system challenge and change the world economy, business schools rethink their approach. Since the start of the global financial crisis, business schools from Barcelona to Buenos Aires have heard the steady drumbeat of footsteps as college graduates and executives facing a tight job market returned to [...]
Ask the Concierge – El San Juan Hotel & Casino
Tips from Yvonne Ramos, the concierge at El San Juan Hotel & Casino, which is part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection of hotels.
Even In Tough Times, Travelers Still Seek a Room With a View
Running one of the world’s largest candy and beverage companies might seem a far cry from the hospitality world of the InterContinental Hotels Group. But to Andrew Cosslett, tapped to lead the InterContinental Hotels Group in 2005, similarities abound between his present post and his previous job at the top of Cadbury Schweppes before the [...]
