Bloomberg Línea — As tourism rebounds, global business and corporate travel is poised to become a huge portion of the industry, with a projected value of almost $1 trillion by the end of the year (or more than $2 trillion by 2028), according to an Allied Business Research Report.
That represents a big chunk of the global travel and tourism sector, which the World Travel and Tourism Council says was worth $9.2 trillion in 2019, the year before the pandemic.
Industry insiders say that business and corporate travelers are spending with gusto again, funneling a great part of their travel budgets into hotels.
With this outlook, Bloomberg Línea presents a list of the top 45 hotels for business in Latin America and some of the main cities for Latin American executives in the US.
The Best Business Hotels in Latin America
According to Bloomberg Línea’s editorial board, the list was drawn up following recommendations by top consultants and industry experts in the region.
The list, the board says, takes into account these criteria:
- Proximity to the main business districts
- Proximity to the major city attractions
- On-site facilities (meeting rooms, business center, restaurants, bars)
- High-speed, ubiquitous WiFi
- Power breakfast options
- Ease of access from major airports
- Partnerships and affiliation to business discount programs
- Early check-in and late check-out options
According to an Accor survey, customer reviews, amenities, and hotel brand type are the main factors that matter to “road warriors” and which contribute to the choice of locations for companies to do business in the industry.
The Best Business Hotels in Latin America
“More than anything, a great business hotel must have on its premises everything a traveler needs if they want to keep productivity on top, and similar or even better than how they would do at their headquarters,” says Ivan Romero, CEO of TM Coaching, a travel business consultancy in Mexico City.
The list names properties in cities from Mexico to Argentina, but also includes Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City.
“We decided to add cities in the US that have a huge value for business travelers, executives, and professionals from Latin America”, says Bloomberg Línea’s editorial board.
Among the hotels included in the list are some from large, luxury chains, such as:
- Sofitel (Bogotá, Mexico City, Montevideo)
- Hyatt (Buenos Aires, São Paulo, San Pedro Sula, Lima, New York City)
- W Hotels (Bogotá, Mexico City, Panama City)
- Four Seasons (Mexico City, Miami)
- Hilton (San José, Guayaquil, Guadalajara)
- Ritz-Carlton (Santiago, Mexico City, Los Angeles)
- Mandarin Oriental (Santiago, Miami).
The editorial board of Bloomberg Línea also chose some independent hotels that belong to smaller chains or collections, or have a great tradition in their cities. These include:
- Los Tajibos (Santa Cruz, Bolivia)
- Baruk Hotel de Autor (Guadalajara, Mexico)
- Tivoli Mofarrej and Hotel Unique (São Paulo)
- Emiliano and Copacabana Plaza (Rio de Janeiro)
- Elcielo (Medellín)
- Habita (Monterrey, Mexico)
According to Meenaz Diamond, Accor’s vice-president of sales for the Americas, the most important thing hotels must consider is that nothing tops guest satisfaction.
“Hotels have a tremendous opportunity to look beyond financial incentives and special offers, to refocus on what is actually at the core of the hotelier’s business – the guest experience,” says Diamond in the Accord survey on corporate hotels programs.