Occidental Hotels & Resorts And Estelar Hotels Join Forces To Form Marketing Partnership

NEW YORK - Oct. 31, 2013 - PRLog -- Madrid, Spain (October 31, 2013) – Following their joint success with Occidental Grand Cartagena, Occidental Hotels & Resorts (http://www.occidentalhotels.com/) and Estelar Hotels (http://www.hotelesestelar.com/en/) announced a strategic marketing agreement which will allow the two companies to collaborate in a sales strategy for five key flagship hotels from each chain. This alliance will enhance the visibility of Occidental Hotels & Resorts as well as Estelar Hotels in those markets where the companies currently do not have a presence. In addition, the companies will leverage each other’s strengths in well-established sales networks: Colombia and Peru for Estelar Hotels, and Europe, the United States and Latin America for Occidental Hotels & Resorts.

A total of ten hotels make up this ambitious and strategic marketing alliance. Included in the partnership are the following Estelar Hotels: La Fontana (Bogota, Colombia), Hotel Estelar Milla de Oro (Medellin, Colombia), Hotel Estelar en Alto Prado (Barranquilla, Colombia), Estelar Santamar Hotel & Convention Center (Santa Marta, Colombia) and Hotel Estelar Miraflores (Lima, Perú). Occidental Hotels & Resorts have included the following key properties in this arrangement: Occidental Grand Aruba (Palm Beach, Aruba), Hotel Occidental Miramar (Havana, Cuba), Occidental El Embajador (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), Occidental Grand Punta Cana (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic) and the Royal Hideaway Playacar (Playa del Carmen, Mexico).

"We have seen a growth in arrivals to Caribbean destinations where Occidental has presence, especially out of the Colombian and Peruvian markets. In recent years this number has increased with rates of over 50 percent,” said Jaime Buxó, Managing Director of Occidental Hotels & Resorts. “Our agreement with Estelar Hotels will allow us to improve our market share in these destinations, which are important to the company due to their proximity and economic strength."

Miguel Diez, President of Estelar Hotels declared, “This agreement is another step toward our goal of diversifying and expanding the marketing strategy of our hotels. We believe that with the inclusion of these five magnificent Estelar Hotels into the Occidental Hotels & Resorts’ distribution and marketing platforms, we will be able to expand our reach and market to a larger number of international clients.”

Occidental Grand Cartagena, the first luxury all-inclusive resort in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia has been under Occidental Hotels & Resorts management since January 2012. The prestigious Latin American chain and a leader in the Colombian hotel industry, Estelar Hotels, not only owns Occidental Grand Cartagena, but also boasts a collection of additional properties in Peru and Panama.

About Occidental Hotels & Resorts

Throughout its 30 year history Occidental Hotels & Resorts has established itself as a key player in the vacation industry, both on the hotel as well as on the timeshare level, primarily in the Caribbean region through the implementation and development of its own unique style based on service excellence, and defined by the “Occidental Experience.”

Today, Occidental Hotels & Resorts manages over 6,700 rooms in 19 hotels across 8 countries: Aruba, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Spain, Haiti and Mexico with more than 4,300 employees delivering service to more than 600,000 guests annually, and a Vacation Club with more than 23,000 members.

In May 2013, Occidental Hotels & Resorts concluded a significant long-term debt refinance agreement. As such the company has initiated a significant capital improvement investment plan in its hotels and resorts with the objective to enhance its product offering and increase differentiation among its four brands – Royal Hideaway, Occidental Grand, Allegro Resorts and Occidental City Hotels – to the satisfaction of its guests.

About Estelar Hotels

Hoteles Estelar S.A. was founded in 1968 and is a subsidiary of Corficolombiana. Today, the company is the first hotel chain in the country, thanks to the support of its shareholders and constant focus in the development and evolution of a strong service culture, to boast a total of 3,202 rooms including a 50% share in Hilton Cartagena. Estelar Hotels has 27 hotels in Colombia, Peru and Panama among them the Intercontinental Hotel Cali – an Estelar Hotel, Estelar La Fontana de Bogota, and Estelar Milla de Oro in Medellin.

The company has a total of 2,200 employees and last year the company reported 682,000 guests and a hotel occupancy rate of 60%, averaging out all the countries where it operates. It is ranked among the 500 largest companies in Colombia and reported a final net income over 97 billion Colombian pesos at the end of December 2012. In 2012 it also became the first and only company in the hotel industry to enter the stock market with a successful initial public offering allowing the company to achieve significant growth and strengthen its leadership position, recognition, responsibility and reputation in the country.

"With the financial resources through these securities, the company continues to secure its national and international expansion plan, which will be reflected in the results over the next five years" said Miguel Diez.

Occidental Hotels & Resorts Media contact
DKC Public Relations

(212) 685-4300

Occidental@DKCnews.com