Holiday Inn and La Joya de Mismaloya hotels in Puerto Vallarta has just grabbed the H Award bestowed by Mexico´s Tourism and Healthcare departments in recognition for the proper handling of foodstuffs and beverages. The award underlines adequate hygienic handling of meals offered to guests that travel from other parts of the Aztec nation and overseas to spend their vacations in Puerto Vallarta.

Thirteen lodging facilities in Puerto Plata, the Dominican Republic that had gone belly up during the administration of former President Hipolito Mejia are now sporting sellout occupancy rates with hordes of sunbathers from Europe, the U.S. and Canada trickling in, Puerto Plata´s Tourism Director Radhames Guzman Balbuena said this week. Mr. Balbuena noted the shutdown of the hotels cost 3,000 fulltime jobs and stalled private investment in the region. La Explanada, Los Almendros, Sir Frances Drake and Larimar were among the establishments that had filed for bankruptcy.

The Chilean hotel industry has accrued dramatically in recent months, soaring as much as 40 percent as a result of the opening to new outbound markets and the South American nation´s credentials as a solid ground for investment. According to Teresa Solis, manager of the Gala de Viña del Mar Hotel, this increment is owed in part to an increasingly larger demand for hotel rooms on the part of foreign impresarios willing to hold their working meetings in that country.

Spain-based hotel chain RIU cut down on its shares in TUI Co. from 9.9 to 5.1 percent as Deutsche Bank, Germany´s largest private bank, put out a roll of bonds at a fixed price of $26.30 each, a move that sent TUI´s stocks spiraling down. The Spanish group had presented itself as a strategic shareholder with long-run plans in mind. Its arrival was welcome news for the German tour operator that was at the time eager to put an end to long months of speculations about the coming of RIU.

The Westin Resort and Spa Puerto Vallarta has just been named Starwood´s best lodging in Latin America, the establishment´s PR Manager Maripepa Gonzalez informed this week. According to Mrs. Gonzalez, a number of elements has made the resort grab the Starwood Hotel of the Year award. Financial outcomes, guest satisfaction, compliance with quality standards and abidance by the trademark´s guidelines were some of the factors taken into account, she said.

The exclusive Cap Cana Residential Compound being built in the Dominican Republic will get its grand opening this month, sources close to the project informed this week. Cap Cana –owned by Abrisa, an international consortium- features 6,177 acres of land, plus nearly 5 miles of unexplored beaches where construction of several hotels, villas, apartments and condos is now underway.