www.CostaRicaTicas.com

To those who know better:

Kind of makes the $10 at the Del Rey sound good. Looks like I will not be changing the name of my web site to Getting In at the Sleep Inn.

Lee

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PS: DO NOT SEND MONEY!

The internet rate for a Suite w/ a living room sofa bed and King Size bed is $90, include a full free breakfast and free shuttle service to and from the airport.

But that $30 chica fee is a killer, has anyone else confirmed that's what they are insisting on. What about a CRT discount?



It's affiliated w/ the same international chain as the amon plaza, so I'm not so sure the chain is concerned about their image.

I am told the Intercontinental group is running this place. Someone will have to confirm this.

Admin 1 & 2, have either of you approached this place for a CRT discount?

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GG
"Last time I said no......I misunderstood the question!"

Yes, but it is probably owned or operated by different franchisees and the difference in location is huge. The Amon will get some mongers and a whole bunch of regular tourists, where as the Sleep Inn with it's proximity to the DR would be over-run by mongers and would have a tough time holding a base of regular business and tourist clientele.

I went over to the newly opened Sleep Inn yesterday.I had a tour of the hotel and a standard room which was as nice as I expected. The hotel has 84 rooms.This is obviously because of their tie in with the Colonial Casino.There is a law here in CR that hasn't been enforced in the past that says that a casino must have a hotel attached with at least 80 rooms.The facilities were very attractive. The lobby area is obviously very new,clean and nice.They have a business center with two computers and a large screen TV in the lobby.There is also a small area where I was told that they will be serving a breakfast that is included in the room rate. I was told that the room rate is currently $79 for a single and $89 for a double. I asked both the manager and the head of group sales about the chica fee. One told me that it was $30 and the other one said it was $25.I told him about CRT and asked if he would consider dropping the chica fee for VIP members and didn't get a warm,fuzzy response. The manager said that they were targeting towards the business and ecotourist market. It appears that at this time,the hotel isn't going to be of any interest to our group.If at some time in the future they aren't doing too well,and decide to encourage "our kind" to stay there it might be a better option than any other hotel in the Gultch. That being said,it is possible that some of you monogomous guys may wish to stay there with your brides at $89.
There wa also NO BAR in the hotel.I was told that the bar was in the attached Casino (Colonial) so those of us hoping for competition for the DR won't see any.

We have approached the Hotel in the same way as we approach the Amon Plaza through the the Casino..... I was not aware VB approched the Hotel Mgt, but warm and fuzzies are not overflowing from anyone associated with this organization.. casino or not....

We will continue to make advances towards them but I'm sure it will come down to occupancy rates and their needs to fill the rooms...

Sorry we have not foresaken you!

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Thank you for supporting CRT!

YO Lads:

How do we say "Phuck this new hotel" Of course in a warm and fuzzy feeling sort of way. Seems just as I stated in my original post. Thanks VB and Admin for doing some P.I. work. Hotel......definitely has an attitude. Love it.

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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.

Thanks Admin 1 for your work for us.

And thank you VB for your inquiry.

Now to discourage those Frog eco tourists....

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PacoLoco: "You pay for it one way or another."
Ace: "Rent everything, do not buy in Costa Rica"

Circus, you and I must be drinking out of the same glass....

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PacoLoco: "You pay for it one way or another."
Ace: "Rent everything, do not buy in Costa Rica"

Someone needs to make sure the gulch "beggers" union hears about all the rich tourists staying at the Sleep Inn.

I heard they are just SHOWERING colones on anyone who asks.

hopefully the hotel will punt their stupid marketing plan into the
dirty gutter by september. maybe someone could do some flyers
to educate the street urchins about this fabby venue. And do not hesitate
to beg from the FRENCH FROGS.
There is alot of hotels in San Jose and its flush with tourists throughout the
summer months.
You go to Cali, Colombia the right month and occupany is about 30%.
you can talk yourself into a suite for the price of a standard room.

Vegas BoB- thank for the hotel recon-- On another subject what do you
think the occupany rates are for these hotels from Sunday thru Wednesday?

There was an article in this mornings Tico Times that make it very clear what kind of hotel the owners want. By the way, the owners are not some unaware group if investors who did not know the area.

A couple of quotes:

"The hotel franchise is owned by the Sociedad Hotel Paseo Las Damas, headed by Shelby McAdams, who also owns the adjoining casino. McAdams says it took 15 years to amass the real estate to build the hotel."

"Both gambling and prostitution are legal businesses, McAdams says. But I don't think they necessarily go together. In fact, I think it (prostitution) is bad for business, so we will continue our casino policy in the hotel: We do not permit girls to solicit on the premises."

I think that explains the $30.00 guest fee. In my opinion posts here that predict a quick demise to there anti chica policy because they will have no business due to there location are vastly over estimating the monger influence. Stay at the Del Rey, The Sportsman Lodge, the Gran Via and almost 100% of the guests will be mongers. Stay at Dunn's Inn, Hotel Amon, Gran Hotel Costa Rica and you will be hard pressed to find more than a few mongers. Costa Rica tourism is alive and well with eco tourist, sight seers, etc.

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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

YO Fellows:
I appreciate DD's post about the article from Tico Times but I don't detect that many here predicting a quick demise of the Sleep Inn. In fact, as DD would probably agree, I think competition is good and it certainly offers a different type of hotel in that area. What I have a problem understanding is their selection of the location for that type of hotel in ground zero. From the statements by McAdams, their business group seems to be steering away from guests that incorporate prostitutes in their stay while in SJ.....at least publically he states that. PR....maybe? Also I have a problem with his statement that it took 15 years to amass the (or that?) real estate to build the hotel unless he meant it took that long for them to aquire the finances for the venture. He must not have meant taking that long to buy that particular piece of land.

As I stated in my original post, I'm sure these people are smart and good at what they do but there is a big piece of the puzzle missing in their selection of that location and yes, it's none of our business what they are doing but it is curious to wonder about. The only problem it presents for me is it will just crowd the presidente that much more and become difficult to book a room unless it's months ahead.

I've got a suspicion as to their motive but I shall keep it to myself, lips are zipped. Tell you what? They had better find a couple of good chefs and a good restaurant manager for that "gone down the hill" Colonial restaurant. And let's admit it. It's time to rid the gulch of a bunch of boozing, fornicating, rice & bean chomping, old & young fart useless mongers like this crew. It's embarrassing. I hope they raze the Key Largo and build a church......now that would be smart and surprising real estate move.....A lot of potential customers around that area.

Circus.....shut up, you're getting useless.

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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.

Looks to me like the way to impact their business is to stay out of the casino.

If he thinks gambling and prostitution don't go together he doesn't know the members of CRT very well.

I think he MAY BE right when he says they don't necessarily go together.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean they DON'T. In other words, just because not ALL gamblers monger doesn't mean ALL gamblers don't. Some don't, but some certainly do. The crew around here is certainly evidence that at least a sizable number do. Besides, are the rest of their clientele that aren't into screwing really going to be that upset with sin going on around them while they guzzle their drinks and gamble away their life savings? I doubt it. This sort of reminds me of the recent moves in Las Vegas to make it a quote unquote "family vacation destination". Give me a break. Sure there are more wholesome things to do there nowadays, but its hardly the first place I would think of to bring my impressionable young Ch*ldren if I were a churchgoer. Then again Vegas is doing pretty well for itself these days, so maybe others are seeing things I'm not. I just don't understand that.

Another thing, if they were going to go to all that expense to build a new hotel just to "save" the casino and had such difficulty securing adjacent land and had such a huge problem with the nearby fornicating, why didn't they just move the damn casino and build a hotel elsewhere. I heard someplace that a new casino and hotel complex may be going up somewhere out near Tres Rios. Apparently they want to be near the concentration of other casinos in the downtown area. And not coincidentally all those casinos grew up with or even spawned the growth of the prostitution businesses catering to the Gringo gamblers. You can't have it both ways.

How many gringo couples does one normally see in the CR casinos? They are there, but at least at present are a distinct minority. Of all the gamblers in CR, who are predominately men, how many don't partake of the other "recreational" activities, and of those few that don't partake how many have any real problem with any prostitution going on around them? Answer few and fewer still. Just because the Colonial keeps out the soliciting, has that made it some sort of safe environment for men to bring their wives to gamble or for many ecotourists to visit and will having an attached hotel really change any of that. DD is right that we represent just another tourist segment, not all that significant once you step outside the Gulch and with a sleaziness factor that can drive off other segments. But while those other segments might stay at places like the Amon, I don't see many ecotourists venturing into their casino and wagering much money (which might have something to do with why Nixon gives US the casino rates). Move next door to a sleaze pit like the HDR and all the associated street riffraff in that area and I don't see them drawing many repeat customers of the type they seem to want. I can imagine the Hotel.com and tripadvisor.com reviews won't be too flattering either, so even new guests remain a question. It seems to me the Colonial business model is an ill-conceived pipe dream.