www.CostaRicaTicas.com

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I've stayed at most of the hotels in SJO at least once with the exception of the guesthouses (freebird and casa 69). And have found each to have their own advantages and disadvantages. My go to choice is La Amistad based on value and convenience. End of the day I have specific needs and Iook past the Marketing. Some SL hardliners look at guys who stay at Amistad as a cheapskates... so its all in perspective.

That being said at 45$ cash I would have stayed at mona lisa vs amistad for last weeks trip If I were solo. I had a newbie army buddy who has never traveled before in tow so 312 and 313 Amistad penthouse was a better selection for our purposes.

to show the power of CRT Marketing
This past trip i met up with CRTer who was staying at Hotel Vesuvio, which is inbetween SL and Amistad he was paying 45$ from Expedia.... perfect location, chica friendly, lower quality than SL or Amistad, but a level above the old Castillo. 30 feet from the SL yet most comments about the place is that it is a "dump" or lot never heard of it despite passing by it all the time

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its easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled- mark twain

I hesitate to give away one of my trade secrets...but Casa 69 is unbelievable. The train noise is a major issue. La Amistad customers may understand.

In April, I paid $36/night but they gave me a free upgrade to the $47/night king room. It's owned by these two Canadians, David & Donna. Never met them. But Donna stocks the guest house with amazing towels, linens, blankets, etc. I know we are a bunch of guys, but once you see the quality, you'll understand the value.

I was bumped up to the $47/room. Far & beyond the quality of rooms at ML (double queen), SL (jr suite), or even the Dunn Inn (single queen). You have to pay 100% in full via Paypal or you are not booked. First pay, first serve. The room had a desk, a king bed, great linens, no a/c or heat but it was not needed. Everything from shampoo to soap was top notch. Obviously, something only a woman proprietor would pay attention to. Later, they bumped me back down to the $36 room which was OK. But I'd go for the $47 room in the future. Breakfast was ok. Many options in the $5-7 range. Free breakfast was nice bread, jams, and fruit. Wifi was fine.

Not explicitly girl friendly. Picked up the best I could find at SL, and told her $20 if they don't let her in. Put a windbreaker on her & we made it to the room (after dark) no problem. At worst, you pay all-in ($47) for a room easily superior to those $109+13% tax ($123) junior suites at SL. Definitely better than the rooms at ML. And equivalent to the $57 queens at Dunn Inn.

Why not spend a few minutes on your next trip to visit Casa 69, Dunn Inn, or even the "under construction" Mona Lisa? Why not know your options? You have nothing to lose except the crazy amount of money you are already blowing on your hotel. Blowing money on inferior rooms does not make you #baller. Be pragmatic not emotional. Don't be that guy who pays a cruise line $299 for a jetski tour that is available locally for $99. You aren't a moron.

What possibly could you lose from spending a few minutes educating yourself on your options? This is perfect, you don't have to believe anybody. All you need to do is explore your options. Ignorance is ignorance, not bliss. And you are not the stupid Gringo who overpays by 2-3X out of ignorance. That's the other guy. The guy too afraid to spend 30 minutes of time seeking out options. and learning the ropes in another country. The guy who thinks senselessly blowing cash proves his value to society while everyone else silently mocks him.

But that is not you. You have a head on your shoulders. Your are intelligent enough to realize that seeing your options & making your own determination takes minimal effort & pays great rewards.

Welcome to the club.

Loco,

we had this discussion at Amistad back in April... Scores had trouble filing rooms at 30$ a night and closed, ML has been pushing 39$ rooms, i wonder what their occupancy is, and Del Rey Standard rooms are quoted down to 31Mil Colones...

Just like the Chicas its a buyers market if you are on the ground for hotels. The Challenge is going to be getting the guys on a plane and into SJO and into the gulch...

Many of the Mongerers I talk to in SJO tend to also take trips to Jaco, DR, Colombia, Brazil, Asia... It seems like the consumers know what is available in the Market but SJO is failing to keep up...

Proximity, short flight times, Cheap flights can only carry a place so far.

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its easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled- mark twain

It seems clear to those of us who travel extensively that CR has yet to recognize they are competing in a global market. And losing handily.

Each year, the gap grows and these trends are not easily reversed. At least recognition of the situation CR finds itself in would be a first step. But even that seems beyond the realm of possibility at the moment. The result of this inaction will lead to it's logical conclusion. Would of, should have, could have, didn't.

That's fine. We have passports & airplanes. And those birds fly anywhere we want to go. Medellin, Pattaya, Bali, Jakarta, Hanoi, Phuket, Angeles City, Cartagena, Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh, Medellin, Bangkok, Sosua.

We have passed the point of recovery in CR. Only a concerted effort by all the competitors to work as a team will save what is left. To bad it takes a crisis to hope for a solution. But if no solution is found, it's not a big deal, MDE, CTG, CUN, PTY, POP are just a hop skip and a jump away.

All else equal, are you really concerned if it's a Costa Rican vs Colombian, Panamanian, Argentinian, or Brazilian you are nailing? Of course not. We are migrants chasing the most bang bang for the buck. The best GFE. And where some become lazy, others compete. Makes no difference to me. It's just a different 3 digit airport code on my boarding pass.

Max, I like much of what you have to say, and wish only to point out that mongers are a very small percentage of the tourism dollars in CR. Are you making a general statement about tourism across the board, or just gulch-related visitors? Frankly, I doubt Costa Rica would care if our business dried up entirely.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

Good report on the ML. I have to agree the price is right as I was told by Helmut that the price will be going up to the $70's after they take off. Sure there are a few problems but I'm sure they will get on their feet eventually. The last stay I had to switch hotels because there was no internet for over 48 hrs, but hey, it's a foreign country, and for the price what can one expect? I was told the restaurant was to open the Friday after I left and I felt bad because I was going to miss it. That was a couple of months ago. Maybe they'll be open when I get back in October....

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I am NOT a Cien Boy!!

I think its pretty clear after reading the entire post that he's addressing the Mongerers and the few establishments in SJO that compete for our Monger dollars...

when framed, anything can get taken out of context, but its seems alot of things gets lost in sematics on CRT. this causes a thread to get hijacked...

So back to the point... Those of us who have traveled around the world can bring our experiences to each other in a productive way here on CRT. The Community for SJO mongering is so small that it is too easy for us to share ideas. One thing IMHO that SJO has is the Fraternal bond amongst the guys who frequent the gulch.

Lets face it we are down to a hand full of hotel rooms in the Gulch that cater to us. Even less gringo bars from the peak, and even less visitors. Its up to us as customers to communicate our needs to the business owners... If we keep Touting blindly it becomes counter productive... The new guys i met this past trip all mentioned the overhyping of certain places on CRT... perhaps it their perspective is different, but it is a differnt view that doesnt get heard.

Whats the incentive for a Sosua or Medellin fan to visit SJO? it seems there is alot of incentive for an SJO fan to visit these other places...

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its easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled- mark twain

I don't think any of the locales or hotels being talked about are over or under represented depending on who's talking
People have their favorite places and want to talk about them
I keep reading one poster needing to feel quite important and righteous w his opinion because there is a continuous use of words like "moron", "fool" and "stupid" to describe those who don't want to come the same conclusions he has
The vesuvio IS a hole by most anyones standard and Ive never heard people who frequent SL say that guys at LA are cheap
Totally different hotels that in fact are a complement to each other
Is CR a monger panacea? Hell no it isn't but a lot of guys that come down have their own situations that are comfortable for them
No need to puff your chest like you have it all figured out and diminish others, just share what you think
Another small fact in regards to other locals is a lot of guys prefer 2-5 hour flights as opposed to 17-24 hours in the air

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

Talking about the scene. But things like keycards at hotels and reliable booking systems are more widespread. Keep in mind, in the past 2 months, I've been to Montezuma, Grecia, La Fortuna, Santa Cruz, Jaco, San Jose, San Ramon, Puntarenas, Tamarindo, Alajeula, among other places. So I think I have a decent perspective on how things operate in many parts of the country. But my comments were clearly directed to the scene & the proprietors of the scene.

I tend to think CR would have an issue if 25% of their overall tourism shifts to Cuba & Colombia which seems to be occurring as we speak. It has begun so best to nip it in the bud before it becomes a trend.

Could not agree more. I want CR to not only survive but to thrive. I had a great trip a few weeks ago. But the more one travels, the more obvious certain deficiencies in hotels, transportation, etc become. It only takes one major hotelier with an aggressive customer first approach to start turning the tide.

You have the world's richest (and 4th most populous) country sitting just 2 hours from your borders. People from Miami & Houston can fly to SJO as quickly as they can fly to Chicago. Where are the competitive juices? You have this rich behemoth practically sitting on your doorstep, so compete. Get your piece of that cash cow sitting on your doorstep.

Excluding marketing efforts, hoteliers could easily make incremental changes by adding keycard only entry to rooms. Change those ridiculous 6,500K CFL bulbs for equally priced 2,700K bulbs. You think your customers want to pay $120/night only to not be able to see their girl because she doesn't want the open bulb lights blasting her in the face while she lies on the bed?

Have blinds that actually keep the 5:30 a.m. sunrise at bay while your customer sleeps. How about sound dampening windows to keep the noise from horns, motorcycles, buses and trains at bay once the sun rises at 5:30 a.m. Cause any monger worth his salt is in dreamland at 5:30 a.m. Provide suitable towels in comparison with 2 star American motels. Have payment systems that are clear & fair. Offer currency exchange that is at a reasonable rate. Add weather stripping around hotel doors. For example, if you are staying in El Dorado or Amante, how many times have you been woken up the the stair traffic to the Penthouse Suite?

Offer individual shampoo / body wash / toothpaste vs the locker room style dispensers in most showers. Create a loyalty program allowing your customers to benefit from continued patronage. Stop moving your customers mid-stay from room X to room Y to room Z. If you require advance payment to lock in a room, fine. But stop shuffling your customers around like they are cattle. A customer should never have to move rooms unless it is a last minute booking.

Every business has their marketing budget. Don't spam your customers in your low season with weekly ads displaying your desperation. Don't lie about an authentic Thai Massage when it is anything but a Thai Massage. Be honest. Your customers are not stupid so don't treat them like you think they are stupid. Provide a better service and experience than your competitors and the customers will follow. Don't be penny wise & pound foolish. Know who pays your bills and treat them accordingly.

This is business 101. It's not complicated. Fight for your business. And you will survive and perhaps thrive.

Why don't you just buy Zona, Pirate or whatever else is for sale and show them how to do it right Max?

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

Nobody has mentioned the quality of the chicas in CR vs. other venues…with the exception of Cocal today, I think the level of the chicas in the gulch has gone down significantly on average. This is clearly affecting the competitiveness of CR in the monger market.

In general, the caliber of chicas @ HDR, for example, is way below where it was a few years ago…not only in looks, but in education and class too! Finding quality GFE with part-timers at HDR who are also college students was not uncommon in 2006…nowadays its winning the lottery hard!

I also think the crackdown on foreigners, especially colombianas, has decreased the level of lookers quite a bit.

Love to hear your thoughts...

At the moment, I have far more profitable real estate ventures to attend to. For me, in CR the money to be made is not on the scene but on eco-tourism. But that doesn't mean the scene cannot be profitable for those with a business mind and a customer first attitude. For those already servicing that market, it's a no-brainer. But I don't see outside capital finding the scene of much interest.

Hey MB…just for your reference HDR and Sleep Inn and Morazan, next door, have card key entry in their rooms….

Thanks. It bothers me as a customer of any hotel or guest house in the world to have to lug around a 1.5" x 6" slab showing my room name / number. Unless soldered on, I remove the keyring and loop it over a belt loop on my shorts/pants.

For me, the only hotel I've stayed at in CR that offered keycards was Mona Lisa

Off the top of my head, I've stayed in approximately 8 different hotels in Costa Rica, many outside San Jose. I just hope the guest before me didn't go to the CR equivalent of Home Depot and make a copy of the key. How easy would it be for that guest to rip the safe out of the wall and make off with $2,000 cash?