All Entries in the "On the Road" Category
Santiago: Firsthand tips for visiting Chile’s capital
Insights and advice from Daniel Picciotto, president of Colombia-based PDC Vinos y Licores Ltda., and José Luis Portela, general manager of the Chilean subsidiary of Spain’s Telepizza. L.T. What do you like most about traveling to Santiago? Daniel Picciotto: As a frequent traveler, I appreciate the efficiency of the city’s airport and the fact that [...]
Mexico City
Firsthand tips for visiting Mexico’s capital.
Ask the Concierge – Four Seasons Hotel, Mexico City
Concierge Agnes Ignacio at the Four Seasons Hotel, ranked as Mexico City’s top hotel for business by participants in Latin Trade’s annual travel survey, offers her advice and tips for visiting the Mexican metropolis.
São Paulo
First-hand tips for visiting Brazil’s business hub.
Insights and advice from Jose Antonio Rios, chairman of Global Crossing, Latin America, and David Berger, managing director, Latin America & Caribbean, NAI Global.
Ask the Concierge – Hilton São Paulo Morumbi
The Hilton São Paulo Morumbi was ranked as the No. 1 hotel in the city in Latin Trade’s 2011 business travel survey. Interview with chief concierge Caio Vega.
Bogota
A practical guide for business travelers to the Colombia capital.
Ask the Concierge – JW Marriott Bogota
The JW Marriott Bogota, which opened its doors in July 2010, was only the second Marriott in all of Colombia. The property gets high marks from business travelers, who ranked it as the No. 1 hotel in Bogota in Latin Trade’s annual reader survey.
Travel: The evolution of Rio
The booming local economy and upcoming international sporting events bring new investments and an increasingly cosmopolitan flavor to this ‘marvelous’ beachside city.
LT Guide: Rio de Janeiro
How to Get There: Most regional and international carriers offer direct service from major cities to Galeão – Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport. Many domestic flights land in Santos Dumont airport, which is adjacent to downtown.
Ask the Concierge – The Four Seasons Hotel Miami
The Four Seasons Hotel Miami opened in 2003 in what is the tallest building in the southern United States. The 70-story skyscraper sits at the southern end of Miami’s Brickell Avenue business district and houses residences, offices and a 50,000-square-foot gym in addition to the hotel. The Four Seasons’ lobby is situated on the seventh floor as is its swimming pool, which is surrounded by lush tropical plants and offers bathers a bird’s-eye view of the city skyline. The Brickell neighborhood has evolved over the past decade, putting Four Seasons guests within walking distance of not only major banks, corporate offices and consulates but also a plethora of restaurants, cafes and shops.
Ask the Concierge – Le Méridien Panama City
Le Méridien Panama opened its doors in September 2009, becoming the first urban outpost in all of Latin America—and only the second location in the region overall—of the elegant hotel chain originally founded in France. Starwood Hotel & Resorts took over Le Méridien in 2005, and the Panama hotel, designed by renowned local architect Ignacio Mallol, embodies the chain’s new contemporary look. Situated within the financial district near the Bay of Panama, Le Méridien offers views of both the Pacific Ocean and Panama City’s glittering skyline. In addition to working as a concierge, Sofía Márquez, age 23, is training to become an events planner.
The Heart of the Incan Empire
LIMA — Travelers planning to explore the lofty Incan city of Machu Picchu take note: More pre-Colombian ruins as well as typical Andean villages and other sights surrounding the historic capital city of Cusco and the Urubamba Valley are worth adding on to the itinerary.
Ask the Concierge – Sofitel Buenos Aires Arroyo
Built as offices in Argentina’s glory days in 1921 and later converted into residences, the buildings that comprise the Sofitel Buenos Aires Arroyo have been transformed into a stylish and modern hotel. The French chain opened its doors to its first guests in December 2002 after a renovation that blended modern French elegance with the Art Deco architecture of the original construction. Located near the well-known Plaza San Martín and Retiro Park in the Argentine capital’s Microcentro, the hotel offers easy access to the financial district, a plethora of restaurants and the more modern Puerto Madero shopping, restaurant and residential area. Concierge Pablo Castro, 42, has been with Sofitel since the opening and is a member of the concierge association, Les Clefs d´Or Argentina.
The Ways of Galicia
The northwest corner of the Iberian Penisula is home to one of Europe’s oldest shrines and a distinctive local culture tied to the sea.
Ask the Concierge – Hilton Mexico City Reforma
A native of Mexico’s bustling capital, José Parra joined what is now the Hilton Mexico City Reforma in 2002 and rose to chief concierge a year later. Parra remained on his post after last year’s renovation and reflagging of the former Sheraton property. The five-star hotel, in front of Alameda Park, is walking distance to the colonial downtown district and close to the Paseo de la Reforma business area.
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.
Ask the Concierge – Renaissance São Paulo Hotel
Lincoln de Melo has worked at the Renaissance São Paulo Hotel for three years, the last two at the concierge desk. De Melo, 30, says one of the best aspects of his job is discovering new things about his ever-evolving hometown and sharing them with visitors from around the world.
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.
Ask the Concierge – Real InterContinental Guatemala
Concierge Jhennifer Calvillo at the Real InterContinental Guatemala in Guatemala City likes to show off her native country to guests, especially foreign visitors. The 26-year-old Cavillo worked in the airline industry before joining the hotel group three years ago. Guatemala, she says, has “many beautiful cultures that the world doesn’t know very well.” What restaurant [...]
Medellin: No Longer Strictly Business
Art and culture make a splash in this modern business center.
Ask the Concierge: Gran Meliá in Caracas
Tips from concierge July Fonda at the Gran Meliá in Caracas, Venezuela. Fonda was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador but moved to Venezuela at the age of five. She started out five years ago as a receptionist at the Meliá, and has been a concierge at the hotel for nearly three years.
Wine is Argentina’s Newest Tourist Attraction
MENDOZA, Argentina – The chance to sleep surrounded by vineyards and take part in winemaking activities is attracting more local and foreign visitors to Argentina’s Mendoza province. Numerous hotels and inns have opened in the nation’s wine country catering to oenophiles. Latin Trade visited one, the Cavas Wine Lodge, which offers guests the opportunity to [...]
A Glacier With a View
From your computer, you can watch a YouTube clip of giant glaciers breaking into the waters of Patagonian lakes. Or, as the cognoscenti know, the town of El Calafate, perched on the edge of Argentina’s region of majestic glaciers, is the headquarters for exploration, observation and relaxation.
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.
For Airlines, Loyalty In Hard Times
Frequent flyer programs, almost three decades old in the United States, are taking off at Latin American airlines.
Nevis: Plantation Charm
Nevis is a quaint island with a rich history, and it offers exclusive – and selective – experiences, in part by remaining off the beaten track.
Ask the Concierge – Swissôtel in Quito, Ecuador
Tips from concierge Nelson Cárdenas at the Swissôtel in Quito, Ecuador What restaurant would you recommend for a business lunch or dinner outside your hotel? Try La Belle Époque, the restaurant in the hotel Plaza Grande, located in the city’s historic downtown area known as the Centro Histórico. I have only 24 [...]
Brazil’s Island Paradise
Mention the words “Fernando de Noronha” to most Brazilians and a dreamy, almost jealous, expression spreads across their faces. A tiny speck of paradise in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Noronha is hopelessly out of reach, geographically and financially, to all but a handful of the country’s 185 million inhabitants. Located 210 miles [...]
London Calling
Every July, thousands of tennis fans from around the world descend upon the storied grounds of Wimbledon for that sport’s most prestigious tournament. In the backdrop is one of Europe’s most prominent cities: London, with flitting images of double-decker buses and Hyde Park transmitted to millions of television viewers between matches. Tennis might take center [...]
