MM3 wrote:
The reasons the the HDR is at less than 60% occupancy (if it is) are simple.
1. It's a dump.
2. Chica fees
3. It's a dump.
Hotels have to be renovated. The SL needs it too.
Haha, I'm known by BB as an evil HDR supporter, so I'll debate you on this for 2 reasons. 1. it isn't a dump. Even though it's old fashioned and the rooms look like Howard Johnson or a Motel 6, it's always super clean, maid service is excellent, the rooms are big.
Very important to me, the towels are big, thick and nice, I always hit the maid up for several extra per day.The bathrooms are big and clean. I always get a window room, third floor or higher, they have well vacuumed rugs and big beautiful insulated curtains, you can shut them and sleep in late.
I always laugh when some guys complain about chica fees. it's mostly "frugal" CRT members, I have met dozens of guys at HDR who never heard of CRT and come year after year and have never said anything about it.
The guys that stay at cheap hotels like Morazan have a point, but most guys who I see complain usually stay at pricey places like SL or Amistad where rooms are in the $90 and up range, more often than not, over $100 a night. Plus if you stay somewhere else and take a cab to and back from HDR with your pick for the night, there's almost your chica fee plus the aggravation, then many want taxi money to return to HDR.
HDR is charging me $65 a night, chica fee $11. When I vacation there I usually get an mp visit and 1 chica fee visit in my room occasionally 2, so even if I get 2, it still doesn't approach the pricier places in price. I like the fact that they seize their identification and have their real names, etc., on record and bad behavior can get them banned.

I've never had any problem from any girl while visiting in my room.
If you're a super stud and getting 4 or more girls in your room per day, hats off to ya, you have a legitimate complaint, but the average guy gets one, maybe 2 a day.
I admit, if I was on vaca and a classy hotel with fabulous rooms is what's important to me, the Presidente is tops, Dunn a close second, SL rooms in the back are nice, the atmosphere is tops, but their front rooms around the bar are vile and that's going easy on them, La Amistad is classy as well, I've heard good things about Zona, but again, look to pay around $100 a night.
What I like when on vaca is to run around all day long and settle in at night, no walking the mean streets of San Jose at night, no fighting taxi's, etc. Hang around and watch the show, nothing to your liking? Watch a little TV in your room, come back down, new arrivals available for your perusement. Pick a cutie and hit the elevator, 15 minutes after talking to her and getting turned on, she's nekked in your shower blowing you...
Another benefit being in the belly of the beast is the constant parade of hotties, spot one you like but running off to do something? Make some small talk and arrange to see her later or get her number, plus it's fun to just hang around and watch the constant show.
Stumble down in the morning for coffee? Sometimes there's cuties as early as 6 am, they don't ask for cien as a rule, I've had super cuties, young and damn near perfect for $50 on the morning shift, girls who could legitimately compete in the $80 to cien range if they were working nights. Get some morning wood resolved, sleep in, head down later for a late breakfast....
I'm also going to challenge the 60% occupancy issue. I used to be in real estate, and sometimes commercial projects, it's damn near impossible for any hotel to survive on 60% occupancy, especially 2 years, I suspect this is another unverifiable myth. Plus if they're losing big at 60%, where's the renovation money coming from?
Every time I've stayed there it seems jam packed, more than once I've had an opportunity to shoot down on a whim for a quick weekend, more than once if I call with a short notice they told me they were filled up so I either stayed elsewhere or waited another week or so...

I'm willing to bet they are already sold out for Halloween week.
Legitimate drawbacks? Being in a loud, thug hood, even though the locals are no threat, their constant badgerings are annoying. Rooms on second floor and rooms with no windows can be loud and claustrophobic, get third floor or higher with windows. Even the good rooms can be noisy at night, I've been woken up in the middle of the night by taxi activity, gunshots, etc. Their restaurant and room service is excellent but quite pricey, all you can eat breakfast...$16! I mean it's great, but yowza!
Also, the atmosphere is always ratched up high tension, the atmosphere at places like Dunn, La Amistad, SL are calmer, quieter, classier, SL has these cool sitting areas, the neighborhoods for SL and Amistad are pretty and subdued and you can walk around and not get hassled, plus you do get classier more modern rooms, but then again, you pay for it...
So there's the legitimate pros and cons as far as I sees it, I'm still betting she'll be essentially the same years from now and you won't be staying there elbowing for room with moms n dads n K*ds n the ladies of the historic society and nature lover tourists...
