Working towards a more diversified, inclusive and sustainable tourism offering

For over three decades, they have been leaders in the construction, supervision and management of top quality, cost-efficient and green engineering building projects.

Cinter Construcción is one of the leading and most progressive construction companies of the Domin- ican Republic. Covering all phases in the development of their projects, from the

design and construction to the supervision and management, Cinter Construcción offers their clients the best quality projects in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Their competitive advantage is based on working with the best specialized and professional teams, following strict ISO 9001 standards, and constantly incorporating new techniques and processes that allow projects to be developed in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way. They are pioneers in the application of the LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in the Dominican Republic.

Despite the decrease in projects that came with COVID related restrictions, 2021 saw an important recovery for Cinter Construcción. Among the numerous projects they developed this year are the construction of the Costa Caribe Hotel and 223 apartments in Boca Chica, as well as completing ongoing projects for Marriott Hotel and other private sector works such as offices. Moreover, they expect 2022 will be a take-off year, as they have several confirmed projects set to begin. Among them, Cinter Construcción has signed contracts for 129 Villas in Puerto Plata, 117 apartments in Garden Residences, 200 apartments for sale within a hotel, 253 apartments in Dominico’s Residence, 160 villas of 180m2 in Mountain View, Wave apartments in Puerto Plata and the construction of the W Hotel with 201 rooms and 65 suites. And if that wasn’t enough, in the next six years they will work with the Dominican government to develop 9,125 affordable housing apartments for low-income residents in the northeast of Santo Domingo.

In the future, Cinter Construcción knows that in order to continue being leaders in the sector, they must keep making significant investments in the construction and renovation of hotels, as well as in the sustained qualification of its workforce. According to Vásquez, “The biggest challenge is to efficiently manage resources and projects while maintaining ade- quate quality and productivity standards. For this, it is necessary to have qualified personnel, and to focus towards innovation, quality, and growth, which is pre- cisely what we are working on.”

One-of-a-kind luxury experience in Ciudad Colonial

A unique collection of carefully restored historic houses offers its visitors private, safe and personalized accommodation in the heart of the city.

Being the only one of its kind in Santo Domingo, Casas del XVI has accomplished what few hotels around the world have: to offer its guests not just a luxurious environment but a truly singular experience.

“It is more than a boutique hotel of special status; it is a project in Ciudad Colonial that has set a precedent with the restoration of the Dominican architectural heritage”, says the hotel’s manager director, Ignacio Peñalver, explaining that the hotel consists of individual houses –some dating as far back as the 16th century- that have been meticulously restored and combined into one inviting hotel experience, where stays can be arranged in the exclusivity of a complete house or in a traditional manner of a single room within the house, as is best suited to solo travelers or couples.

Part of their success as a luxury boutique hotel has a lot to do with how they understand luxury. As Peñalver explains, “for us, luxury is an experience to be felt, not seen.” This singular approach is based on three main axes: privacy, uniqueness, and personalized service. Guests have full exclusivity of the historic houses, and therefore are free to use them as they will, while enjoying personalized services of private butler, concierge, chef and housekeeping. Unlike big hotel properties, the houses are only accessible to registered guests, who can enjoy a sense of serenity and privacy in exquisitely decorated surroundings. Similarly, regarding their outreach strategy, they privilege a more direct and purposeful approach. As Peñalver explains, “even during the pandemic we continued to work with a low-key profile.” All these peculiarities allow guests to “fully enjoy personalized treatment and tailor-made experiences during their visit”, assures Peñalver.

In the future, Casas del XVI plans to integrate even more activities in Ciudad Colonial by offering guests the chance to take part in traditional cultural enterprises such as taking pottery lessons in Casa Alfarera, joining espadrille-making tours, or visiting the booming offer of museums and exhibitions. “We support these high-valued initiatives; I get goosebumps from the idea of offering those opportunities to our guests”, assures Peñalver. Such initiatives are certainly in line with current public and private efforts to strengthen and diversify the tourism sector in order to go beyond the image of a sun and beach all-inclusive destination and attract a wider variety of visitors.

As Peñalver states, investing in the development and promotion of different types of tourism like cultural, adventure and congress tourism, as well as ecotourism, has become a more active approach, as it certainly is the case for Casas del XVI and other projects being undertaken by the Terra República Dominicana Real Estate Investment Fund, that is co-managed by its parent company Terra RD Partners and INICIA. “We have a long-term vision, we are cautious with every step we take. We make sure that every decision harmonizes with our purpose: to offer unique high-end accommodations while restoring the architectural heritage of this historical city”, assures Peñalver. By developing a unique business concept that profits from the country’s solid economic trajectory, this luxury boutique hotel has demonstrated that it is possible to stay true to your values and offer a one-of-a-kind luxurious experience to its well discerned guests.

Reinventing the hotel sector in the Dominican Republic

Focusing on experience-based tourism and combining real estate administration, boutique hotel operations, and rental programs, HMS and its brand Mint Hotels and Residences, have created a new niche in the market.

It is not about staying in a hotel room with a pretty view and air conditioner. Any hotel can offer that. It is about diving into the culture, the taste, the community. You leave satisfied because you live an interesting experience, that is what Mint Hotels is about”, says Miguelina Butron, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Mint Hotels and Residences, when asked about the philosophy of their brand. They specialize in boutique hotels where high-quality services, exquisite cuisine and spectacular natural or cultural settings are a priority. As Mint Hotels and Residences’ CEO and founder, Abelardo Melgen Acra explains, “we realized that in the Dominican Republic the mainstream was the all-in- clusive, so independent hotels could not add themselves to the market on their own, nor had the capital to do so. As a company, we gave them the opportunity to make themselves known internationally and began to pave the way for independent and experience-hotels.”

Mint’s hotels are located all around the Dominican Republic, surrounded by virgin beaches, mountains, rivers or city life, and guests can choose two or more destinations within one visit to create a truly unique experience. Their country-circuits include “Mint Retreat”, where guests stay at the exclusive Bannister Yacht Club hotel in Samaná, a coastal city in the northeast of the island, and experience days of relaxation at Mee Spa, yacht trips through beautiful Samaná Bay, and hiking to Salto del Limón, one of the country’s most scenic waterfalls. Another circuit, “Three Destinations One Culture”, takes visitors to Regatta, an apartment condominium with hotel services in central Santo Domingo, to experience the cultural and gastronomic offer of the Capital and the “Ciudad Colonial”, the first city in the Americas, and then brings them north to Natura Cabana ecolodge, a nature lover’s paradise facing the Atlantic Ocean and surrounded by mountains. There guests can relish in the exquisite and locally harvested organic cuisine, have a relaxing spa experience, practice surfing or kitesurfing, go hiking, or enjoy yoga classes in the extraordinary sea-facing, tree covered YayaGym. “We have been able to come up with four combinations under Mint’s philosophy, to give visitors some insight into what this country is, a country that surprises you”, assures Butron.

Throughout her time in office, Mayor Mejía has demonstrated that with the right investments and common efforts, it is possible to have a cleaner, greener, more human and inclusive city. After all, like Mayor Mejía says, “I have embraced public service from the heart, without particular interests, and with the sole objective of improving the life quality of my people.”