CARTAGENA, Colombia
Cartagena is becoming one of the top Latin American cities for hoteliers to set up according to data released by ProColombia, the body charged with looking after the country's trade, tourism and investment.
The hotel industry has responded to the 13.5 percent spike in foreign visitors last year by announcing its intentions to locate more than 15 new hotels in the city of Cartagena by 2017.
Familiar names establishing a base include the Radisson Cartagena Ocean Pavillion Hotel (just opened), Intercontinental, Sheraton and Wyndham (all opening 2015), with many more chains and luxury boutiques all choosing to locate their newest Colombian bases in the UNESCO city.
The range of hotels due to open within the next 24 months shows the variety of expected travelers, with options to suit a combination of wallets and needs, including single night stays starting at $60 per night (Ibis), to luxury guest rooms set inside UNESCO world heritage sites (Viceroy - Convento Obra Pia).
The hype around Cartagena is representative of a growing trend across Colombia which has seen the country break out as a "must-see" destination, having recently been featured on the New York Times' '52 places to go in 2015' and Forbes' '10 Coolest places to visit this year' lists.
In recent years millions of dollars have been spent and invested in corporate and commercial infrastructure, and those developments haven't been limited to the hotel industry. The airline industry has matched the decisive move made by international hoteliers by increasing the number of new direct flights to Cartagena, and broadening the number of established flights on offer to the country itself.
These advances mean that Cartagena has seen huge growth in its MICE bookings, something that hasn't been lost on new hotels, with many planning to offer business centers to accommodate visitors needs. The Intercontinental boasts over 16,000 square feet of meeting space, while the Hyatt Regency and Holiday Inn Express Bocagrande will include slick business centers - all three will be open by the summer of 2015.
A range of hotels between now and 2017 are set to open, each with their own unique features including the Estelar Bocagrande which will be the tallest building in Cartagena (opening 2015), while the Hilton Conrad - Karibana will open the following year, becoming Colombia's first luxury resort, and the Melia-Karmairi, Four Seasons, Best Western Plus and Aviatur Baru are all set for 2017 launches.
