www.CostaRicaTicas.com

No brother, we are just trying to Phuck the flies too.

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Hit them fast, Hit them hard and NEXT!
A good chica is like a good carpenter - No wood gets wasted!!!

I usually stay at the Prez and go to CR almost every holiday weekend, just guessing I would say that 50-70% of the guest on these type weekends are single guys looking for some fun.

By the way ! Does anyone have an update on the the construction going on? I was able to get a spa room on Columbus day weekend without any problems. I booked about a week ago.

LocoMike

Thanks for the estimate. That was in the ball park of my guesstimate based on having been in the lobby when friends from the US stay there and when I walk by that elevated outdoor café, News Café I think it is called. There are always American sounding people eating, drinking and chatting. While it may be reach to say they look like mongers, they look like mongers. You can see little horns protruding from their receding hair lines; horns that need to be trimmed at places like ZB, NF, and with selections from HDR and KL.

To me it irrational for any business (Presidenté Hotel) to treat 50 to 70 percent of it client base anyway other than great. If you live by their rules, they should be doing a little bowing and scraping. Hospitality by definition means welcoming, warmth, kindness, wanted, comfortable, appreciated, and attentive to ones guests.

Go figure!

My guess is that El Prez is willing to take a big revenue hit for as long as it takes to re-position themselves as a strictly family-friendly venue (expect a big ad campaign next season). In the current economic climate, this will be a lot longer than they anticipated--family travel is very discretionary and is slowing ("staycations", anyone?); Our Crowd's travel can be counted on to stay strong. I do feel empathy for the Brothers with a history there but El Prez from our perspective may well go the way of the Park Hotel and others. This does strengthen the hand of HDR management--what other big venues are there in or near the Gulch?

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

If they are changing their business model they are up against a lot of competition. Hilton and all its branches are certainly entering this market. I’m a Hilton Honors Diamond Member and they send me email promotions all the time including promotions in CR.

I agree with you JazzboCR that it’s just a matter of time until the slowing US economy will really begin to hurt tourism here. You are also right that the single adult male traveler will always find money to seek the pleasures parlours of life. It is like the stability and endurance of beauty parlours for women, they will always find funds to get their hair and nails done. K*ds may eat beans but the hair and nails will get done.

YO Monger percentage:

I think that most of you have a tendency to inflate the monger percentage of the hotel's patrons. It may have possibly been 30 to 40% of men looking for sex for several years but now I would guess that business and tourists make up over 75 % of the lodgers. Their restaurant business from what I'm told is over 85% local, business and tourists. As far as CRT....a very minimal percentage except for the bar and the rail.

It's a moot point anyway. The Presidente no longer desires our patronage and those of us who plan to still go to CR will have to find compatible lodgings. Other doors always open when there is a market.

It's just a sad fact in our ever changing little world of the gulch. But it was fun and enjoyable while it lasted. Yep, I will definitely miss my usual room 316 but it certainly won't miss me.

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Damn if I'm going to repeat this shit again. I need a drink.
I've been drinking vodka every day for 45 years and I have certainly never found it to be habit forming.

Im actually going to stay at the Presidente on Nov.5th -9th and was able to get a room....I think a portion of it is open and the other rooms are being renovated. Im trying to find another hotel near Del Ray where my friends can stay now .....

I agree with circus, it is a shame that a place so close to our pleasures has turned its back on us .But I agree that over the last year or so that is their direction. On the other hand their is a lot of other venues spreading their wings to make things better than staying there. ZB,Sl Freebird have taken up the slack as well as the upcoming expansion at Hotel M. If they do not want us than we do not need them, I wish that we could boycott them to show what they get from treating the people that have supported them wrong.

I dont want to be a tout for the Prez but over the last year I have not experienced any real changes from the previous year. The service I receive has always been good. Maybe my point of reference differs from some of you as I have been staying at the Prez for a little over two years. I have had very few problems with getting my guest in the hotel. I find the rooms a little harder to come by during ther torurist season but it's no big deal, just staty somewhere else. With respect to prices a spa room, with CRT price, for $100 is a good deal. A regular room for $70 is also a good deal. Everyone has a different wallet and what each of us is willing to spend differs. For example I would be reluctant to spend $200 a night at the Hotel M, but that's me others may differ.

With respect to the % of mongers I would stick to my estimate of 50%-70% on holiday weekends during non tourist season. For example, over labor day weekend, on Sunday evening, over about a 2 hour period, I had dinner and drinks on the rail. I had to see at least 15-20 guys coming and going with their guest and had drinks or enaged in some conversation with another 10-15 guys who I know from CRT or other trips to the Prez.

On weekdays the Prez does have a strong lunch business and they offer good specials to get the local crowd in the restaurant. Who cares? Does not effect me any. Overall it seems to me the Prez has a loyal following with a lot of repeat CRT customers.

I stayed at the Prez a couple of weeks ago and although some construction was going on it did not seem like a real problem. My buddy and I got the master suite on very short notice and it was great. We brought HDR ladies back to the Prez on 5 different times and did not have any real issue. When you told the ladies where you were staying they knew what they needed to get in and got a sweater out of their bag or from a friend. Once the ladies thought it would be a problem and backed out of the deal and we quickly replaced them. I must say that the eight person hot tub was great, nothing like a jacuzzi party to get everyone into the right frame of mind.

RailRoadMe

The master suites have two bedrooms a Hot tub for six just perfect for all the fun you can have in the afternoon with a Del Ray hottie or a late nite Key Largo. Not worried about any construction. Never stay any where else always first class. Charge Airport tax to my room at the front desk also very easy to change dollars 24 7 at the front desk free safe in both bedrooms. See video of the room at Hotel's web site.

I agree, based on my last few (non-holiday) stays observing guests in the cafe and hotel my estimation is 25% of guests are like minded gentlemen. With the demise of our discount affiliation and a 15% rate increase coming it will likely be less in the new year. Wouldn't surprise me if a guest fee was also in the works which would be the final nail in the coffin but maybe not yet since the transition thus far has been such a slow process. BTW the hotel is not closed or 90% closed, an amigo had no problem booking a suite for next month, but he did not request the whoremonger discount.

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Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

I just got back from san jose & spent 5 nights, sept. 18-23, staying @ the Prez & I had a fine time as always.

The hotel has 40% of their rooms open during the remodeling of the other rooms in the hotel. The hotel is business as usual-I heard almost no construction noise, the only noticeable difference was that 1 elevator was unavailable & some furniture was out of place in the lobby. The nights I was there the hotel had between 39-43 guests staying there. The news cafe bar/restaurant was usually pretty quiet as most of their business comes from hotel guests, but it sure made it ez to get a seat at the rail for breakfast in the morning. I began every day from 9:30-11:00am perched on the rail sipping coffee, chatting with other tourists & watching central america walk by on Ave. Central.

As for the staff, I was treated like a king by everyone there. From the girls working the cafe during breakfast who you look forward to seeing every morning, to the maids who cheerfully helped with special requests-extra hangers & towels, to the front desk & bellmen who were cheerful & professional, even when I was bringing in chicas, & I brought them in at 8am, 7pm, & 11pm-never a disdainful look.

I've booked a room for next year & it looks like I'll have to pay $71 a night, a $9 increase, but what in the hell else in the world isn't going up in price? As long as I continue to receive the same treatment at the Prez, & they don't bar chicas or institute a chica fee, the Prez will be my hotel of choice in San Jose. Some of us prefer not to be in the frat-house environment of the Delrey or the Sportman's 24 hrs. a day. I personally don't want to come down to breakfast & see hookers around & sometimes in the afternoon I want to have a drink or something to eat at my hotel & not have hookers around. The Prez fits that bill to a T. I personally like the mix of mongers, business types, ecotourists, & regular old vacationers you see at the Prez. The Prez gets an A grade from me.

sincity

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"cuz I'm a back-door man" Jim Morrison-1969

I think you might be right about basically after the consturction on the hotel they would start to charge more colones for extra ticas it probaly would apply in January of 2009 they want to be more upscale dudes .