The news out of Latin America is seldom boring. There’s always something going on in this vast region worth talking about. Here are some of the more unusual or noteworthy tidbits from the recent news.

Toilet paper shortage in Venezuela
It’s one thing to hear about the effects of socialism on a country’s economy, quite another when price controls and inefficiency materialize in a concrete way. In this case it’s a big toilet paper shortage going on in Venezuela. They may be used to running out of milk, butter, cooking oil, and other staples, but one 70-year-old shopper said, “Even at my age I’ve never seen this.”

Yet another reason for them to head to Panama or Colombia I suppose. Plenty of TP in those places.

Former Guatemala leader convicted of genocide
Guatemala made history this month when it convicted a former president of genocide, the first time a head of state has been convicted of such in his own country. Rios Montt ruled brutally for 17 months during the civil war of the early 1980s. His troops attached Maya Ixil villages with full force, at least 1,771 deaths directly attributed to him at the trial. He got 80 years, so he’ll die in prison. This is on top of four soldiers getting convictions of more than 6,000 years in total a few years ago.

Goodbye to one of Argentina’s worst
In a related story, Argentina’s Disappearer-in-Chief just died at 87. Jorge Rafael Videla is said to be responsible for at some 20,000 deaths in the late 1970s and it was reportedly his idea to take the children from mothers, have then killed, and let the babies be raised by military families. Don’t rest in peace…

Belize road crew bulldozes Maya pyramid for road fill
In a story that prompted outrage in and outside of Belize, a road crew looking for fill materials took heavy equipment to an unexcavated pyramid in Belize that dated back several thousand years. They destroyed the structure and it gets worse: the company’s owner is (was?) a legislative candidate.

Brazil goes halfway to same-sex marriage
A supreme court ruling in Brazil effectively legalizes gay marriage in Latin America’s biggest country. While it could still potentially be overturned by legislation, this ends some confusion and brings Brazil closer to the policies of its neighbors Argentina and Uruguay.

I know a luxury travel blog and website will often pretend everything is rosy in the places they cover, but we like to tell it like it is here at Luxury Latin America. So let’s put it out there that if you travel to a hot place to escape the cold or find adventure, you’re probably going to deal with bugs and other creepy crawlies.

I was reminded of this recently on the coast of Panama when I found this now deceased guy in the corner of my suite, right next to the sofa. I’m just happy he made himself so obvious instead of hiding in my shoe.

This is the second time I’ve had such a visit in a nice hotel room, not even counting how many made it into my living space in Mexico. Here’s a shot of one that made my family and I glad we had the mosquito net up in Costa Rica.

Today a scorpion, tomorrow some insect that is as big as my hand. If you go exploring the Amazon, kicking back on a tropical beach, or even just checking into a hotel in the desert of Mexico or northern Chile, you’re seriously outnumbered. Keeping all the animals and insects at bay can only be accomplished by sprayed toxins, innovative design, or an incredibly diligent staff. Most employ a combination of the three. If they’re a true eco-lodge though, forget the chemicals part.

So keep that in mind when you call the front desk about a critter that needs to be dispatched. The staffers are there to help, yes, but please don’t get huffy and act like this should never happen. I’ve heard stories from hotel general managers about guests who checked out early because the geckos were too loud or there was an agoti in their path as they walked to dinner. Sorry, but you’re not in Chicago or Dubai anymore.

As you’ve surely heard by now, Hugo Chavez went to join his comrades in the afterlife this week. The downtrodden and those who worked for him are mourning, while the opposition and the business community are quietly cheering.

Time will tell how long it will take to undo the damage he did, the economy tanking despite a fabulous oil boom that drove the price to record highs on the world market. Some of the highest crime in the hemisphere despite swelling state coffers for police and one of the highest inflation rates in the world were the marks of his legacy. A brain drain has been going on for over a decade, as well as a wealth drain that has greatly benefited Panama and Colombia.

Venezuela has been one of the countries we have never covered in Luxury Latin America. I’m not sure we ever will cover it. That will depend on whether business leaders return, whether anyone builds hotels catering to high-end travelers, and whether tour companies are able to feel secure for the safety of their clients. It will also depend, of course, on whether the anti-American (and pro-Iranian) sentiment that marked the Chavez era will fade now that he is gone.

There are plenty of natural attractions in the country, from waterfalls and mountains to jungles and beaches. Whether the 180-degree turn necessary to attract visitors with money to those places can happen anytime soon is a mystery though.

Adios Hugo. Let’s all hope for a brighter Venezuelan future.

As we watch the Americas—including the Caribbean—dominate all the track & field sprints in the Olympics, let’s take a break to check out some luxury travel news for the region.

In Brazil’s biggest city, a much-needed subway expansion is finally in motion. They’ve got a long way to go to really ease congestion though. Their metro has 71 kms of track for 19 million people compared to 200 kms for Mexico City. Even Santiago’s is 40% bigger. A planned Line 4 extension will add five more stations though to the recently opened stops. Alas, not in time for the 2014 World Cup though. See the full article from the Economist here: Not yet fit for a metropolis.

Mexico tourism is on track to set a record this year for both the number of visitors and overall revenues, based on how the first six months went.

Luxury retail spending was down 26% in the second quarter of this year, after a smaller decline in the first quarter. Affluent households have previously been the bright spot during this recession, but while they still seem to be traveling, they’re not plunking down as much on handbags and watches.

Magazine publishers are crying the blues as well. As more readers and advertisers gravitate to digital, paper is suffering. “Vogue, Vanity Fair, Lucky and Allure all experienced double-digit declines for Condé Nast” says this article and most others were lucky to have “only” a single-digit decline for the first half of the year.

Argentina’s import restrictions are hitting the Buenos Aires luxury market hard. All the red tape and bureaucracy have led to permanent or months-long closures of stores from Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Cartier, and Ermenegildo Zegna. We can only imagine the effect this is having on hotels as well if they’re trying to import French toiletries or the latest electronics.

We don’t cover troubled Venezuela on Luxury Latin America, but congrats to fencer Rubin Limardo who won the country its first gold Olympics medal in 44 years.

We’re more disappointed with U.S. hotel chains than we’ve been in seven years. That’s the conclusion of the most recent J.D. Power consumer survey when it comes to hotel guest satisfaction. When staying at a hotel in the United States, we’re far less happy than we used to be with the service.

As with airlines, it’s not difficult to find the root causes: fewer staffers and annoying fees. As hotels and resorts have cut staff levels in this recession, they’ve also done long-term damage to their brand. A disappointed guest is far less likely to recommend the hotel, either on social media or in person.

The survey also found that reaching into guests’ pocckets again to extract a fee for internet access—now as expected an amenity as hot water—creates outsized annoyance. “Guests who were charged for access had an average satisfaction score of 688 for costs and fees — 76 points lower than those who weren’t charged extra.”

And no, bundling that into a “resort fee” doesn’t help: we hate that too.

Just as free-bag airlines like Southwest and JetBlue come out on top in these surveys, those hoteliers who seem to provide great value in one rate come out on tops here as well: modest Drury Inn has kept its crown in the “midscale limited service” category for seven years now.

Luxury hotel guests are more forgiving of the nickel and diming though. Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and JW Marriott came out as the top three in the luxury category, with the first one getting the highest score overall. The lower annoyance with extra fees is partly because the company is paying when guests stay there on business, partly because loyal customers get the extra fees waived. And Ritz-Carlton has built up a well-deserved reputation for personalized service and delightful surprises: just the kind of thing guests seem to be missing elsewhere in the DIY atmosphere (and long check-in lines) encountered so often elsewhere.

So what abou Latin America? Fortunately, when you run across an understaffed hotel in this region, it’s an anomoly. While you won’t find the swarms of people falling all over themselves to serve you like you will in India or Indonesia, low staff numbers are seldom an issue. When you stay at a luxury hotel in Latin America, you can expect luxury treatment.

You won’t’ go wrong with the big names, of course, like the ones mentioned above or the Starwood Luxury Collection and St. Regis properties. When those aren’t available in the region though, there are dozens of great local chains and fine independent hotels. See our Luxury hotel reviews in each country for the best of the best, reviewed by an expert travel writer on the ground.

See the full J.D. Power survey results here.

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