Opening Doors.Hotel chains, airlines expand in Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. Hotel expansion Spain's Sol Melia Hotels plans to invest US$500 million over the next five years to build three new resorts in Mexico. one business hotel and a new brand of hotels in Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta (pwār`tō väyär`tä), city (1990 pop. 93,503), Jalisco state, W Mexico. Located on the expansive Bahía de Banderas [Bay of Flags], Puerto Vallarta has been used since the 16th cent. . Sol Melia has three brands of international hotels--Melia Hotels. Sol Hotels and Paradisus Resorts--and more than 225 hotels around the world. Hotel agreement The hotel chains Camino Real and InterContinental signed a pact aimed at strengthening their competitive position in Central America Central America, narrow, southernmost region (c.202,200 sq mi/523,698 sq km) of North America, linked to South America at Colombia. It separates the Caribbean from the Pacific. . Meanwhile, Alvaro Diago was named president of InterContinental/Crowne Plaza Hotels for Central and South America South America, fourth largest continent (1991 est. pop. 299,150,000), c.6,880,000 sq mi (17,819,000 sq km), the southern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , the newly formed upscale division of Bass Hotels & Resorts, parent company of both InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, and Crowne Plaza This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. Hotels and Resorts. Lodging boom Choice Atlantica Hotels plans this year to open 19 hotels in South America. The hotel chain operator holds the franchise rights to several Choice brands--including Comfort Inns, Quality Inns and Clarion Inns--in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. The company currently has nine hotels in the region, including five in Chile. Fly away U.S.-based Continental Airlines and Brazil's VASP VASP Vasodilator-Stimulated Phosphoprotein VASP Vienna Ab-Initio Simulation Package VASP Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (Brazilian airline) VASP Value Added Service Provider VASP Virginia Academy of School Psychologists will codeshare flights between the United States and Brazil. Continental also acquired a minority ownership stake in the parent holding company of Panama's COPA COPA Child Online Protection Act (US internet legislation) COPA Comerica Park (the new Tiger Stadium) COPA Canadian Owners and Pilots Association COPA Compañía Panameña de Aviación airlines and related companies. Airline deal British Airways and American Airlines signed an estimated US$3.9-billion deal to buy a combined 10% stake in Spanish flagship airline Iberia. British Airways will own 9% and American 1%. Spain will sell 30% of the group to other institutional investors later in the year as part of a move toward the full privatization privatization: see nationalization. privatization Transfer of government services or assets to the private sector. State-owned assets may be sold to private owners, or statutory restrictions on competition between privately and publicly owned of Iberia. American has a 10% stake in Iberia's former subsidiary, Aerolineas Argentinas. Hotel investment Mexico's Grupo Posadas Posadas (pōsä`thäs), city (1991 pop. 211,297), capital of Misiones prov., NE Argentina, a port on the upper Paraná River. Its industries include woodworking and metallurgy. , owner and operator of the Fiesta Americana hotel chains, signed an acquisition contract with Brazil's Caesar Park hotel chain. The deal will include ownership of the Caesar Park brand name; three hotels, one each in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, city, Brazil Rio de Janeiro (rē`ō də zhänā`rō, Port. rē`  thĭ zhənĕē`r , Brazil, and one in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and one hotel licensed to use the brand name in Cancun. Codesharing agreement American Airlines and Aeropostal of Venezuela will codeshare on one another's flights. Under an agreement, American will place its "AA" code on Aeropostal's flights between Miami and three cities in Venezuela--Caracas, Maracaibo and Porlamar--and between San Juan and Caracas. Hotel expansion Days Inns of America, Inc. made its debut in South America with two hotels--the Days Inn Obelisco in Montevideo, Uruguay, and the Days Inn Guadaira Resort in Melgar, Colombia. Company officials say more expansion into South America is slated for this year. Grounded airliner Aeroperu shut down in March after failing to find a new partner to inject it with fresh capital to keep flying its airplanes. U.S.-based Delta Air Lines and Mexico-based Aeromexico are Aeropero's main shareholders. The airline is now in the hands of the Peruvian government. Promoting tourism A consortium of nine South American countries, the Committee for South American Tourism (COTASUR), has been formed to help promote South America as a tourist destination for Europeans. The nine nations will invest US$38 million over the next three years. |
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