BY JOHN OTIS
Latin Trade Magazine
The most convenient areas for hotels and restaurants are the uptown
Options in the uptown neighborhoods include boutique hotels like the Casa Medina and the Charleston Hotel as well as international chains such as Sofitel, Marriott and Radisson. Travelers who will spend time at government ministries should consider staying closer to the old downtown at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Tequendama or the boutique Hotel de la Opera, located across the street from the Foreign Ministry and a few blocks from Congress and the national palace. Both Marriott and Radisson have opened new hotels on
Most hotel room fees include breakfast. Colombian coffee can be surprisingly bad due to poor preparation. But good espresso and cappuccino can be found at the many Juan Valdez and Oma coffee shops around the city.
Many restaurants offer decent international cuisine though it’s rarely outstanding. For typical Colombian cuisine, such as lomo al trapo — beef tenderloin packed in salt, wrapped in a wet rag, then cooked in charcoal — try La Bonga del Sinú or Andrés Carne de Res. The latter’s Chía location, north of
At fine restaurants, always call ahead for reservations. A 10 percent service charge is included in restaurant bills, and no further tips are expected. Some
SAFETY
Many hotels have their own fleets of taxis, which are more expensive than street cabs. Avoid hailing taxis on the street since passengers are sometimes robbed by cab drivers. If there’s no alternative, it’s generally safer to hail a moving cab rather than taking taxis that are parked and waiting outside fine restaurants and hotels frequented by foreigners.
TRANSPORTATION
If you don’t have a driver waiting for you upon arrival, proceed to the official airport taxi office, located to the right of the terminal exit doors, which will provide tickets with set fees to be paid to the cab driver upon arrival. The fee to most
Renting a car is not recommended for business travelers because the “pico y placa” license plate system bars private vehicles, including rental cars, from the streets two days per week.
Taxi services abound, but a request for a cab should be phoned in from a hotel or office 15 minutes in advance. All taxis are metered, and tips are voluntary.
Due to frequent rains, potholes and street repairs, traffic jams are getting worse, especially during rush hour. As a result, it’s easier and faster to schedule meetings between
Keep in mind that weekend traffic is also heavy because the license plate restrictions are not in effect and many residents run errands they didn’t get to during the week.
PRACTICAL TIPS
Meetings and Negotiations: Meetings should be set up as far in advance as possible for the highest-ranking executives and with a minimum of two weeks’ notice for others. Email or telephone confirmation a few days before the meeting date is highly recommended. Meetings are sometimes organized around lunch dates at private clubs where a cocktail or a glass of wine is appropriate. Many members of the business class own second homes near
Dress Code: The dress code for
Greetings: Business contacts should be addressed in Spanish as “doctor,” “ingeniero” or “licenciado” depending on the individual’s specialty and field of study.
Business cards: Acceptable in either English or Spanish.
Language: Though most members of the
Punctuality: Business executives are, in general, far more punctual than government officials.
This article originally appeared in the May/June issue of Latin Trade magazine.
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