www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Being the devil's advocate here, there are reasons for mainstream tourists to stay downtown other than to see the few sites of any interest in downtown itself. SJ still makes a convenient base for doing day trips around the Central Valley, whether it is Poas and La Paz to the west or Irazu and the Orosi valley to the east. It also has a wide selection of hotels (not exactly works in the favor of those hotels hoping to fill up just with those tourists) as well as a wide selection of fine restaurants. With all that being said, the conventional wisdom on most mainstream CR travel boards is that downtown is a pit that is best to be avoided. Even for visiting parts of the Central Valley, these tourists usually find it much nicer to stay somewhere outside the city itself. Unfortunately, there are still many other mainstream tourists who either don't find SJ so horrible and take the bad with the good or who just don't do their research and don't realize how bad a 3rd world capital can be (OTOH, do these hotels need repeat business when so many new and oblivious mainstream visitors come to CR and SJ every day).

My guess is that since the Prez has been working in this direction for some time, they have already seen a decline in the percentage of guests who are mongers and have at least some idea of how easily they can find mainstream guests to take up the slack. Perhaps some of those who still stay there can comment on whether they've noticed any change in the composition of their fellow guests or any increase in the number of vacancies. The big potential problem with the Prez's calculations is that it may be based on their initial results which occurred before the economic meltdown and its subsequent impact on tourism. In these new times, they may find that it really isn't as easy to fill the rooms left over from their former regular monger guest customer base as they initially calculated and may slow (or even reverse) their move towards becoming monger-unfriendly.

Does anyone want to start a betting pool how soon or how long it will be before the no chica fee policy goes if ever?

The past couple years I've noticed an increase in civilian tourists- quite a few Euros, groups of teenagers and occasional families w/K*ds staying there. Yesterday at 6 AM the cafe was packed with an older group scarfing down breakfast before boarding a bus outback for a day tour, they were speaking french or german, not sure as I was focused on getting to the airport.
Us guys staying there is really not a problem as long as discretion is used, which is understandable catering to a mixed clientele. We also (usually) keep a different schedule having breakfast late after they are gone for the day and coming in late after they are already in bed. As far as vacancies right now is hard to say since only 30% of the rooms are open due to another remodel. But I don't believe they've had many vacancies up until now since I always have trouble getting favorite rooms unless I book several months in advance.
I think you are exactly right plus add in the costs of the remodel and another rate increase after the 1st of the year and business may not be as great as they expected, unless Euro-tourists take up the slack.(?)

It is hard being discrete as a fifty year old guy, with a 20 year old chica in 10 square foot elevator.

Both Prolijo and DiegoC bring up good points regarding the location of Hotel Presidente. If HP truly intends to curry the favor of eco-tourists and families, maybe management should consider moving the hotel to Monteverde. Operating a "tourist" hotel in the middle of the gulch leaves a lot to be desired...the gulch has a face that only a monger could love. Besides that, access to the Pres from all directions sucks...so why wouldn't the average tourist seek a place on the outskirts of town (closer to the airport and Interamerican Hwy)? It will, indeed, be interesting to see how successful the new business model turns out in light of the current economic crisis.

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

I believe that the opinion that the location of the Presidente is going to be detrimental to their success as a non monger hotel is without much merit. The Grand Hotel Costa Rica which when sold and remodeled banned working girls from the property totally. The old Hotel Gran Via when they remodeled and installed new management became chica unfriendly. The Balmoral has always been chica unfriendly. All of them are within a block of the Presidente and they seem to be doing well.

Holiday Inn and Sleep Inn, both in a less desirable tourist areas then the Presidente, are chica unfriendly but also seemingly doing well.

The Presidente has not suddenly changed their business plan. There are numerous posts on this board about their change in attitude over the past couple of years. The hotel has been run by the same family in the 16 years I have been coming to San Jose and they have always seemed to know exactly what they are doing.

I believe they know the risks and have decided that the direction they have charted for themselves is one that will be successful. I might be proven wrong as this thing plays out but I believe they are correct in their assumptions.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

You make a very cogent arugment Irish Drifter and could very well be correct. Your point about Hotel Costa Rica and others is well taken. Without the ability to see their books we can only make assessments based on cursory observations.

My view is obviously biased based on being pro-mongerism. I suppose that time will tell.

YO Prez:

Yeah, the Z is for "Change" as Obama would say.

I have no problem with business decisions in how a hotel desires to project it's image. That's their choice. But, the change in attitude and lack of friendliness was the deal breaker to old Circus. As I have stated before, not to feel welcomed after many years of lodging at this hotel, spending many dollars in the restaurant and bar, bringing in new guests and with writing several articles of praise for this hotel......all those things apparently became unappreciated.

And then there is the firing of Wendy and Maria. Two ladies that did their best to make one's stay at the hotel a nice and enjoyable stay.

As with many things in life....it was a good ride while it lasted.

You seem to have missed the part of my post where I said despite the various shortcomings of staying in downtown SJ for eco-tourists there are a lot of reasons why many eco-tourists WOULD stay there. In terms of access in "all directions" the Prez may suck but at least it sucks equally. How easy is it to get to Irazu, Cartago and the Orosi Valley if you are staying in Alajuela and how easy is it to get to Poas, La Paz or Turu Bari if you're staying in Cartago?

ID is absolutely right. While there are lots of tourists who dread setting even a foot in SJ, there are still plenty of others that do stay there and the presence of so many non-monger hotels (all over the downtown area) only proves that. And I'm sure that the Prez is more aware of this than any of us since they've been able to study their occupancy patterns and guest demographics over the whole course of the journey from a more purely monger hotel to a much more mixed clientele enterprise.

The question I still have is not so much where they've been but in where they're heading. Tourism to CR in general is down, SJ's reputation as being crime-ridden is up and so tourists staying in the city has to be down at least as much or more so than tourism in general. The number of hotel rooms has not gone down. If any thing relatively new hotels like the Hotel M, the Freebird, the Sleep Inn and room expansion at places like the SL and HLH (just to mention a few places I know about) means that there is also increased competition. Most of those places came on line when tourism numbers were going up but now, with CR tourism being down and SJ tourism probably down even more, vacancy rates must be going up at many of these places. Now is probably not the time to raise rates or do other things to drive off your existing guests.

And if these effects have not been too serious so far, I don't think things will be getting any better any time soon. SJ's reputation for crime within tourism circles is not getting any better and in fact is probably getting worse with events like what happened to those girls from the White House Casino. The euro visitors that the Prez seems to attract come from countries that are also starting to feel the effects of the world-wide recession. And the recession in the US does not seem to be abating in any way. The stock market is at its lowest point in years. Housing prices continue to tumble in most of the more populated parts of country. And most economists seem to be forecasting a longer and deeper recession than they did just a couple of months ago. Gee, now I'm really depressed.

My point is, despite whatever the Prez's experiences have been thus far, their prospects for the immediate future are at best very cloudy. Whatever they choose to do, I wish them luck. Most mongers seem to have moved on to other places, so really why should we care that much what happens to them. Like the wise Circus said, its their business they can do whatever they want with it.

i have not stayed at the pres because of there anal dress code and for banning girls for not returning there visitor badges i still wonder what it is like to be ID a miserable old and has not had an erection in years but at last Little Harlo is in awe with him and they are planning there wedding hopefully this will change ID way of looking at things

In the Prez's defense, we all know they have not catered to some of you mongers/types for quite awhile, however, my last trip there for a night in transition, they upgraded my basic room request, con chica, up to a junior suite---with no additional charge. I have no reason why, but I have to mention that I was treated very well that night and appreciated their hospitality.

Florida,

Guess you missed this post in this thread



I didn't so I will not respond.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

EXCUSE ME

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THE ONES THAT DON'T KNOW WHERE THE NICE GIRLS ARE, ARE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT THEM. THE ONES THAT REALLY KNOW; DON'T TALK ABOUT IT:

No, excuse ME!

You're both excused, however still waiting on an apology for this undeserved toxic outburst of hostility.