In my many years of writing about hotels around the world, I can’t ever remember one opening earlier than scheduled. Until May, that is, when I visited the new Westin Lima in the San Isidro business district. A few weeks before I had scheduled a “hard hat tour” of the facility. By the time I arrived, the place was open and staffed up, with guests in some of the rooms already.

That’s a sign of this organization having its act together and it bodes well for the future. This new hotel, the tallest building in the country of Peru, is a partnership between two key players. The owner is the Libertador company, which has stepped up its game considerably in the past few years, opening Tambo del Inka and Hotel Paracas—both stunning properties. Running the place is Starwood, which has more international convention experience and a deep bench of managers used to serving business guests from around the world. Plus this gets them tapped into the Westin reservation system and lets all those Starwood loyalty points junkies either earn points or cash in.

This is a beautiful hotel, thanks in part to the Tony Chi interiors and thanks also to the huge budget they had to work with. Everything is shiny, new, and beautiful and all the facilities are top-notch, from the spa to the indoor pool to the striking bars. When the weather is clear—a rarity in Lima unfortunately—every room has a city view.

See photos and our full review of Westin Lima.

Gabriel Alvarez is Deputy General Manager of Aranwa Hotels Resorts & Spas, a growing hotel developer that is ridingthe wave of expanding tourism in Peru and the rapidly developing economies of Latin America. I’ve talked before about the booming tourism business in Peru and wanted to get his insiders’ take on what’s happening in this dynamic destination.

Luxury Latin America: What was the spark that got you started with the Aranwa Hotels projects? What led up to that?

Gabriel Alvarez: Travelling around Peru, seeing the lack of high quality hotels and tourism infrastructure in its different regions was an eye-opener. We realized we had the service and healthcare know-how as an advantage from our competitors and it was a very interesting opportunity. Also, my family’s passion for art, culture and wellness (expressed in our healthcare upbringing) definitely contributed towards the signature approach we bring to hospitality.

Peru tourism seems to keep growing each year, no matter what is going on in the worldwide economy. Why is that?

The country has had over a decade of sustained political stability and overall economic growth. This has contributed to place Peru in the international scene, exposing our greatest strengths in the eyes of the world. For instance, Machu Picchu continues to amaze the world, as the lost city of the Incas. It is a great cultural heritage which attracts people everywhere.

In order to continue growing, more product differentiation is needed, and we should not only focus on country brand, but on inner workings, learn from experience and from other countries such as Mexico.

We have a review of your Aranwa Cusco hotel, of course, but naturally you would like to get people to spend more time at the one in the Sacred Valley. What advantages are there for tourists of staying in the valley instead of just passing through?

The first thing one will notice about the valley is the lower altitude and how much easier it is to walk around than in the city of Cusco, we’re talking 2800 meters against 3500 meters. That enables one’s body to acclimate and after a couple of days in the valley you can take on Cusco easily. Further, most of the archeological sites in the “top 5″ places to visit are in the Sacred Valley, such as the Pisac Market, Maras Salt Mines, Moray amphitheatre, Ollantaytambo, and the train to Machu Picchu. Tourists can save lots of transportation time if they stay in the Sacred Valley rather than in Cusco. Adventure activities such as rafting, hiking and the intrepid Via Ferrata are new additions on top of the usual ones.

If you look at it from a wellness perspective, then the valley is definitely your top choice. The area is called “sacred” because of the climate it has and how crops are easily able to grow and flourish within. What is more, in colonial times women from Cusco used to go to the valley to give birth, as the experience was much more manageable. The town of Urquillos, next to our property, has a mud that is well known for its healing properties. Hence, for wellness-focused extended stays, which we provide, the valley is an ideal location.

Continued – See the rest of our interview with Gabriel Alvarez of Aranwa Hotels

Aranwa Hotel & Resort - Sacred Valley, Peru

We’re still seeing lots of good travel deals and enticing specials out there, despite the rising cost of oil and all the global turmoil elsewhere. Here are a few select luxury travel bargains, as well as new developments on the airfare front.

Spirit Air just announced that it will be flying to Toluca airport near Mexico City from its Ft. Lauderdale hub starting June 3. You’ll have to have a calculator handy to add in all their gotcha fees on top, and they have some of the most cramped seating in the industry, but if you can grin and bear it for a few hours (or pay up for more legroom), this could leave you with extra cash to spend on one of the luxury hotels in Mexico City instead.

Speaking of Mexico, Volaris is continuing to fill some of the gaps left by defunct Mexicana. In the coming month they’ll start flying to Fresno, CA and Las Vegas, NV from Guadalajara. Here’s their destination map.

Did you know that Costa Rica’s Nature Air flies to Nicaragua and Panama from Costa Rica? This makes it easy and inexpensive to visit two countries with only one flight on a major carrier from home. Flights to Nicaragua from San Jose start as low as $55 one-way.

LAN is continuing to offer great deals from the U.S. to Latin America. Be sure to check the prices to move up to the front of the cabin: Premium Business Class fares start at $899

On a regular basis, Luxury Link runs auctions for some of the top hotels we feature in Luxury Latin America. If you’ve never booked through them, here’s extra incentive: 10% off your first purchase at Luxury Link through 3/31 with code LUX10. Or take $100 off your first purchase if that works out better.

When I last checked they had a 5-night stay for two in a suite at Las Acacias in Guanajuato, Mexico stuck at $950 with an hour and a half to go. There was also a 3-night stay at Aranwa Sacred Valley in Peru: deluxe room, breakfast, airport transfers, taxes, and one dinner at the auction price of $595—a steal!

Last, if you’ve got the Galapagos on your list, Geographic Expeditions is offering $750 off on select departures right now.

Libertador Hotel Paracas in Peru

Latin America has been on a roll this whole time that everyone has been crying the blues in the rest of the world about low occupancy rates at hotels. Sure, some pockets are still down, but hotels are going up at a frantic pace in Peru and Colombia.

The Sacred Valley Gets Flooded…with Hotels

Nicholas Gill, who has written many of our reviews on luxury hotels in Peru, wrote this informative article for another publication: A Look Inside Peru’s Hotel Boom.

If you’ve been subscribing to our newsletter or following this blog, you know we’ve posted reviews of the most notable ones soon after they opened: Libertador Hotel Paracas, Tambo del Inka in the Sacred Valley, and Aranwa hotels in both the Sacred Valley and Cusco.

Libertador and Starwood are jointly opening a big Westin in Lima that will be the highest building in the country—I may be able to give a hard hat report when I’m there in late May. But wait, there’s more! Orient-Express is revamping a hotel they bought in the Sacred Valley. Plus the article says, “Chilean chain Explora and Marriott Hotels and Resorts are in the process of completing hotels in the area and Four Seasons and Aman Resorts also have expressed interest.”

Chain Hotels Pour Into Bogata, Colombia

Meanwhile, another contributor of ours, Mark Chesnut, wrote this piece for the Latin Business Chronicle -Columbia: Bogata Hotel Boom.

The international chains apparently feel just fine about Colombia now. A new JW Marriott just opened (we’ll have a review of it soon) and here’s who’s on the way: Ibis, Sonesta, Hilton, and Holiday Inn. As it stands now, 578 rooms will come online this year alone in Bogata. Plus Cali just got its first luxury hotel—we’ll have a detailed review of that up in the next month as well.

For now, see our reviews of the best luxury hotels in Colombia.

Although it’s hard to believe now, less than a decade ago you couldn’t really find a luxury hotel in the Sacred Valley of Peru. The only people hanging around long enough to stay there were adventure tour groups and backpackers who weren’t content with a one-day bus tour. My oh my how things have changed. Just look at Tambo del Inka, the newly opened top luxury hotel, and realize it’ll probably be bested by something else a year or two later, just as it has bested the ones that just opened in the last couple years.

This is a hotel that will have staying power though, no matter what. It’s got plenty of land and a spacious spa, but is close to the rail station and town in Urubamba. It’s part of both the Libertador chain and Starwood’s Luxury Collection, so there will be point-chasing (and redeeming) guests aplenty. It’s also got plenty of “green hotel” cred, having gained LEED certification for environmental building standards.

Our reviewer says not only is it convenient, but it’s the most stylish place around too:

The earthy interiors, designed by Tony Chi, are a high point of the hotel. Most are contemporary renditions of Inca textiles, stone walls, and pottery that take oversized forms and are put together in original ways—such as in stone fireplaces and hanging tapestries. A vibe that is stylish and not at all dated runs throughout the halls, lobby, bar, lounge, and restaurant.

See our full review of Tambo del Inka in Peru.