Of Prohotel International: Damari Rubio, regional sales director & Karina Fuentes, regional sales manager, Canada

Prohotel International representatives Karina Fuentes, regional sales manager, Canada and Damari Rubio, regional sales director hosted select media at STOCK restaurant in Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto yesterday in order to discuss the company’s five Latin America boutique luxury hotels.

Representing - among others - Esencia and Guaycura Boutique Hotel & Spa in Mexico, Casa Bonita Tropical Lodge and Sublime Samana Hotel & Residence in Dominican Republic as well as The Lodge at Pico Bonito in Honduras, the Houston-based Prohotel International’s philosophy is to operate boutique luxury properties without pretention while maintaining a standard of service and luxury designed to exceed guest expectations.

Each Prohotel International property aims to incorporate local culture while allowing the hotel to be unique in its concept and design in order to provide guests with a distinct holiday experience, according to Fuentes.  

As Fuentes and Rubio presented each of the properties to those in attendance, they described the factors which make each hotel unique and which local flavours it brought to both the literal and metaphorical tables.

Esencia

Located on Playa Xpu-ha, approximately 45 minutes south of Cancun, Esenica offers 29 ocean and garden view guest rooms.

The former house of an Italian Duchess, Esencia was converted into a hotel in 2005 and all of its accommodations feature furnishings crafted from native woods.

Its beach is likely recognizable to Canadian travellers who have seen Corona advertisements, as the property is the site on which the iconic Mexico beach haven ads are filmed and photographed.

The property also has two main pools, one for families and one for adults and it is the only boutique hotel in the area that accepts children. Esencia also has two private swimming pools and 14 private plunge pools

Hotel Guaycura

Surrounded by historical buildings in the centre of Todos Santos, Guaycura Boutique Hotel & Spa combines the building’s rich history with modern luxury, according to Fuentes.

Offering guests 14 rooms and suites, the three-story property is the tallest building in town and overlooks the historical centre of Todos Santos.

The on-site restaurant serves combinations of traditional Mediterranean dishes with a touch of unqiue Mexican flavours. Fresh fish and seafood are brought in from the Cortes Sea and Pacific Ocean and most of the vegetables and herbs served are grown locally.

The Aena Spa offers organic treatments using local fruits and ocean salt and guests can also experience the Travertine marble steam room and Jacuzzi as part of a purification and renovation ritual.

Casa Bonita Tropical Lodge

Committed to the sustainable development of the community of Barahuco, Dominica Republic, Casa Bonita Tropical Lodge is staffed mostly by locals from the community, making it an integral contributor to the economic and social development of the area.

Perched on a mountaintop overlooking the Caribbean Sea, the Sierra Barahuco Mountains and a variety of rivers, this boutique luxury hotel has 12 deluxe rooms, each featuring a private terrace.

Selman & Asociados Designer Firm used only natural elements, such as palm wood and coralline stone mixed with some modern details, during the property’s remodeling.

Casa  Bonita’s restaurant sources vegetables, seasonal fruits and herbs from its own garden and the Tanama Eco Spa plays with the natural elements of the region, including local stones and herbs, in its treatments.

Subime Samana Hotel & Residence

Opened this past March and located on the Samana Peninsula in Dominican Republic, the Sublime Samana Hotel & Residence offers 20 private suites and villas.

Guests at the property experience adventure and educational excursions and the nearby Los Haitise National Park provides whale watching tours, hiking or horseback riding while on-site activities consist of daily children’s activities, Robinson Crusoe-inspired spa services, snorkeling, scuba diving and sailing.

Sublime Samana has two main, inter-connecting pools and guests also have the opportunity to rent small private pools positioned within the main pools.

The Lodge at Pico Bonito

Nestled within the 400 acres of Honduras’ second-largest National Park, three-miles from the city of La Ceiba, The Lodge at Pico Bonito is for those travellers looking for rare and untouched natural environments as well as five-star luxury accommodations.

The site is a refuge to 300-plus bird species and accommodations include 22 private standard and superior cabins built of stone and native pine, all newly furnished in plantation style.

The newly renovated on-site restaurant and bar serves Mesoamerican cuisine featuring local Honduran dishes.

Guests can visit the property’s Butterfly Farm and Serpentarium, take in the nearby Lancetilla Botanic Gardens, hike the rainforests, tour the Cuero y Salado Wildlife and Manatee Refuge, white water raft, snorkel at Cayos Cochinos, motorboat off the coast of La Ceiba, explore the Mayan ruins of Copan or visit remote villages to see how the women use “micro-loans” to start businesses.