Our History

Strategically located in the Central Valley with a spectacular view of the mountains and the beautiful landscape, the hotel is just five minutes from the Juan Santamaría International Airport and 15 minutes from downtown San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.

What is currently known as the Hotel Ramada Plaza Herradura started out in 1975 as the Hotel Herradura. The hotel was built by the company Exposiciones Agropecuarias Bonanza to have a place to lodge their participants from abroad when agricultural events were held.

That same year, the Cariari Group, along with Mr. Robert Brooks, bought the Hotel Herradura facilities from the Bonanza company and then named it the Hotel Herradura Inn. At that time, it had 71 rooms.

In 1982 Mr. Brooks bought the hotel, expanded it to 113 rooms and named it the Hotel Herradura Americano. In 1986 the number of rooms reached 145 and that same year it became part of the Sheraton Hotel Chain, so it was named the Hotel Sheraton Herradura. That association caused the standards of quality and services offered to foreign and domestic tourists to rise.

In 1990, Mr. Brooks sold the Hotel Sheraton Herradura to Corporación Costa Sol Internacional S.A., a Japanese investment company founded in January 1990 and headed by its president, Natsuo Asada. At that time, Mr. Asada canceled the franchise from the Sheraton Hotel chain and renamed it Hotel Herradura Golf Resort & Conference Center.

Under the new management, the infrastructure was expanded to 234 rooms and a casino was built to entertain the guests, along with a new swimming pool. The remodeling also included an innovative Jacuzzi, wet bar, and the prestigious Conference Center, which was finished in 1991.

In March 2001, Mr. Issa Ladha became the majority shareholder in the hotel and took over management. He managed to develop it even more and turned it into a charming hotel for guests who came to stay for business or pleasure.

Currently, the Hotel Ramada Plaza Herradura has an area of 33,743 square meters, including the International Conference Center. The hotel has 270 staff members an

VISION

VISION

TO SURPRISE
The Hotel Ramada Plaza Herradura is the best four-star hotel in Costa Rica and has taken staked out is place in the market based on its excellent service standards.

Its frequent guests trust in the quality of the hotel because the management is stable and the service quality standards are demanding. People who work at the hotel are motivated by the pleasant setting and the result is outstanding performance that translates into an excellent image and reputation.

MISSION

MISIÓN HOTEL RAMADA PLAZA HERRADURA

GOOD SERVICE AND HUMANISM

Our idea is to provide our guests with an excellent hospitality experience, project an impeccable image, and provide the best in service at all levels and at all times.
Parallel to that, we want to strike an appropriate balance between guest needs and the interests of the Hotel Ramada Plaza Herradura, eliciting and extending smiles, constantly maintaining and gaining new customers.

Code of Conduct

As part of its commitment to contributing to strengthening and joining together with each of the citizens in Costa Rican society, the Hotel Ramada Plaza Herradura has a code of conduct to protect children and teenagers from commercial sexual exploitation in relation to travel and tourism.

Therefore, the Hotel has publicly, and through different international conventions, taken a firm stance against commercial sexual exploitation of young boys and girls and teenagers in Costa Rica and the world in general and particularly when associated with travel and tourism because this sort of conduct harms the fundamental rights of these human beings.

The purpose of this code of conduct is to further actions targeting protecting boys and girls and teenagers against commercial sexual exploitation associated with travel and tourism, including:

• Training the hotel staff members so they can recognize and handle this problem and act as agents to prevent it by protecting the minors affected if they come into contact with this sort of situation while working.
• Use visible symbols to inform guests and providers about their position on rejecting commercial sexual exploitation of minor children.
• File an annual report with the Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals and the Costa Rican Association of Tourism Operators, with a copy to the Paniamor Foundation, as an organization affiliated with ECPAT International for Costa Rica, containing a report on the actions the company has carried out in this field.

The Hotel Ramada Plaza Herradura, in its drive to offer an integral service to each of its guests, has stood firm in its position on safeguarding children and adolescents against commercial sexual exploitation in travel and tourism and knows that examples start at home.

Certification for Sustainable Tourism

To a sustainable environment

Increasingly aware of the problems involving the environment and the role that every citizen and private enterprise in particular should fulfill, the Hotel Ramada Plaza Herradura works under the premise of environmental sustainability.  

Because the hotel has been rated as level 3 in relation to Certification for Sustainable Tourism, by the local authority (the Costa Rican Tourism Institute), it works in line with a broad energy and social transformation program where its philosophy is reflected in its actions.

The hotel envisions becoming the best four-star hotel in Costa Rica in terms of economic results, the work environment, and environmental footprint. This has led it to take concrete actions to decrease its impact on nature. They include:

• Bedding and towels are washed in cold water and bleach is replaced by ozone injection.
• The diesel cook tops in the kitchen have been replaced with gas burners.
• More than 90% of the lighting comes from LED bulbs that consume very little energy.
• The following projects are being examined: Using solar panels to pre-heat water for the rooms, banks of ice to cool the air used in air conditioning, etc.
• No chemical fertilizers are used in the garden since the hotel produces its own mulch.
• Purchasing acid-free white paper made of sugar cane (not tree) fiber.
• Re-using the ink cartridges in printers with a strict recycling program.
• The furniture in the Tirrenia Mediterranean restaurant is built of FSC certified wood from sustainable plantings. The bathrooms are handicapped friendly.
• The use of organic ingredients in the restaurants and bio-degradable cleaning products in the kitchens is being increased.