Receptionist recount the time when a man was running through the street outside the hotel with a bullet in his chest and another in his elbow.  Morena rushed to assist his neighbor, performing the first open heart surgery in Costa Rica.

"This was long ago, but it is our history," said one receptionist.

In his old age Don Carlos sold the company to his son-in-law and American educator and anthropologist Lee Weiler.  It is the Weilers' children who now mange the hotel.  Being a family-operated business, they manage the hotel with a standard of class and uphold the value of a personal experience.

“We are called a petite hotel because you can speak with all the staff.  In big hotels you don't have the same treat,” said Espinoza.

Some hotels in San José have 75 to 85 percent of their customers as single male tourists. The Gran Hotel Costa Rica and the Don Carlos are two hotels that have lost business by not allowing guest to bring in a nightly companion. 

“When people call our toll-free number, they ask questions about girls, and we advise them that we are not that type of hotel, and they choose to stay in another hotel,” said Espinoza.

However, both places report that staying family-oriented keeps them busy with guests.

“We've been receiving frequent clients.  They know how we handle the hotel, they know the place and that it's family and friends first.  For us its very easy,” said Espinoza.

Most of the guest who stay in the Gran Hotel are foreign individual travelers and families coming from the United States, Canada, England, Spain, Germany, France, and Netherlands. Corporate travelers also frequent the place.  The 107-room hotel has an occupancy rate of 60 to 70 percent all year.

 “I can not say we have a high or low season because we have a balance all over the year,” said Álvaro Salas, Gran Hotel operations manager.

This is not to say that neither hotel has night entertainment for the guest.  The Gran Hotel owns a casino with a separate entrance, and Hotel Don Carlos has a restaurant  and bar.

Three weekend earthquakes
reported in Costa Rica


Three earthquakes took place Saturday and Sunday.

The first Saturday was five kilometers south southwest of Golfito on the east shore of the Gulfo Dulce and 15.5 km east northeast of Puerto Jiménez. That was at 3:12 p.m. The estimated magnitude was 3.2, said the Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica at the Universidad de Costa Rica.

At 10:24 p.m. a quake rattled the country's northern zone. The estimated epicenter was 14.4 kilometers east northeast of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí in northeast Costa Rica. The magnitude was estimated at 3.1.

At 6:20 p.m. Sunday a quake of magnitude 2.8 took place nine kilometers southeast of Colonia de Upala in northwest Costa Rica  not far from the Nicaraguan line.


Decision on Moín docks
scheduled for Aug. 7


The Poder Judicial has confirmed that a trial in the  Tribunal Procesal Contencioso Administrativo involving the proposed $1 billion container facility in Moín has concluded.

The case was brought by the  Cámara de Bananeros and the Sindicato de Trabajadores that represented those who work on the Caribbean docks.

Th case was against the state and also against APM Terminals, the Dutch firm which seeks to build the modern facility. The allegations related to the technicals requirements for putting the public docks out for concession.

A decision is expected by Aug.7, said the Poder Judicial.


Banco Nacional charging
for utility bill payments


Banco Nacional has quietly instituted a new set of charges for those who would pay utility bills and other debts unrelated to bank activities.

The charge is 300 colons per bill, about 60 U.S. cents.

Unlike some banks in the United states, there still is no charge for conducting bank business at a teller window.

Costa Ricans have paid utility bills at bank windows for generations, but now bank officials want them to do so online or at private firms that collect for the various utilities.

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