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| The Team | ||
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| Hans Pfister | ||
Hans Pfister is the President and co-owner of Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality. Hans brings almost twenty years of experience in the hotel business in all capacities from trainee to General Manager, and currently serves as Managing Director working across all projects. Born and raised in Germany, Hans' career began with the European tradition of apprenticeship as an introduction to the industry; he fine-tuned his knowledge of the service industry with a degree from Cornell University´s School of Hotel Administration and various experiences in properties throughout Europe, Asia, North- and Latin America. In addition to his native German language, Hans speaks English and Spanish fluently, and is also able to communicate in French for business purposes. Hans has been on the board of directors of the Costa Rican hotel chamber for five years and served as representative of the private sector (CANATUR) in the Marketing Committee of the Costa Rican Tourism ministry (ICT) for over four years. Hans is a frequent speaker at sustainability related conferences and was invited to share Cayuga's experiences in the field of sustainable hospitality at the Harvard Business School and Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and currently serves as the Exectutive Director of the Small Distinctive Hotels of Costa Rica. |
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| Andrea Bonilla | ||
Andrea Bonilla is Managing Director and co-owner of Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality. Born and raised in Costa Rica, her passion for service and the hospitality industry lead her to study at Cornell University, where she received a degree in Hotel Administration. Andrea brings over fifteen years of industry knowledge to Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality; her experience ranges from training positions and internships at MGM studios to working as Operations Manager at Breezes Beach Club in Zanzibar, Africa. For five years, she worked as Administrative and General Manager of Lapa Rios Ecolodge in the Osa Peninsula, where she developed a true passion for sustainability. To this day, she still remains an active member of Women of the Osa, a group of volunteers supporting the conservation of the Osa Peninsula. In Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality, Andrea has helped with the opening of a number of different properties, including Harmony Hotel, Morgan’s Rock in Nicaragua and Arenas del Mar. While her native language is Spanish, she also speaks fluent English and Italian and is proficient in French.
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| Juan Pinto | ||
Juan Pinto recently joined Cayuga as the new general manager of Lapa Ríos in the Osa Peninsula after two years of being responsible for the agricultural department of the tourist theme park PANACA. Juan graduated as an agronomist from E.A.R.T.H. University with an ample knowledge on Costa Rican fauna. He is extremely fascinated by nature and wildlife and is genuinely committed to conservation and sustainability. He has begun his work full of expectations and with the sincere intention to maintain and contribute to the quality of the service for the benefit of ecotourism and recreation of the guests. Juan is fluent in English and Spanish.
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| Fabian Palma | ||
Fabian Palma was born in Costa Rica and studied Hotel and Restaurant management at the ULACIT University in San Jose, Costa Rica. He began his career in hospitality working in restaurants and, as a result, has a strong food & beverage background. He has previously worked as the hotel manager for Cruise West on board of the Seattle based Pacific Explorer cruise ship taking guests all over Central America. In July 2006, he took on the challenge of re-launching the Harmony Hotel in Nosara, Guanacaste as General Manager and at the end of 2007, Fabian opened Arenas Del Mar Beach & Nature Resort located in the rain forest of Manuel Antonio, one of the newest projects of Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality. Fabian is fluent in both Spanish and English. |
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| Jorge Arrieta | ||
Jorge holds a master degree in International Business Administration from UIA Texas, an undergraduate degree in Tourism and has over fifteen years of operational experience in hotel management and consulting. Before joining Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality, Jorge was a professor of tourism at the Universidad Internacional and served as program director of an internationally sponsored program to increase the level of tourism related skills in rural areas of Costa Rica . Jorge worked at the Lapa Rios Ecolodge as Administrative and General Manager for five years and has been recently promoted to Director of Operations for Cayuga. He is responsible for the supervision of the different hotels’ operations and also for offering support to the properties’ managers. |
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Ingrid Alfonso |
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Ingrid Alfonso was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, where she studied Hotel Business Administration. She has been working in the hospitality industry for over thirteen years, working in a number of larger hotel chains such InterContinental, Sofitel and Radisson. When she first came to Costa Rica, she worked as the General Manager of a small lodge located in the Monteverde Rainforest Reserve. Ingrid started working with Cayuga at the beginning of 2007 and since then has learned a great deal about sustainable tourism and development. She is currently working as Operations Manager in Arenas del Mar, Manuel Antonio.
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| Andrea Miranda | ||
Andrea Miranda, better known as Angie, was born in California and raised in Costa Rica. Her passion for cooking eventually led her to study Hotel Administration at the Universidad Interamericana de Costa Rica. Before joining Cayuga, Andrea went through culinary training in various hotels, worked as Operations Director in Purisil Park and Sales Manager at Los Sueños Marriott in Costa Rica. Her desire to participate in sustainability tourism, however, drew her to Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality, where she hoped to contribute in the responsible development of tourism within Costa Rica. Angie has been a part of the Cayuga team since 2005 and is currently the General Manager of the Harmony Hotel in Playa Guiones, Guanacaste. |
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| Raul Hidalgo | ||
Raúl Hidalgo studied hotel and restaurant administration at the Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnología (ULACIT) in San José , Costa Rica . He has been working in the hospitality industry for over fifteen years and has worked in some of Costa Rica 's most prestigious hotels, including the Herradura Hotel & Conference Center and San José Palacio Hotel. Having moved up the ranks from Receptionist to Reception Manager, followed by Assistant Manager to General Manager, Raul is truly an icon for the upward mobility possible in the hospitality industry of Latin America today. He also brings to the group an ample experience in hotel purchasing, as he worked in sales for one of Costa Rica’s main importers and producers of hotel amenities and supplies. Raúl is currently the General Manager of Parque del Lago in San José Costa Rica, turning the property into one of San Jose’s most successful business hotels and Central America’s first and only Green Business Hotel. |
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| Maria Jose Castro | ||
Maria Jose was born and raised in Costa Rica and studied Hotel Administration at the Universidad Interamericana de Costa Rica. As her first assignment, she took on the role of Operations Manager at the Harmony Hotel in August 2006. Her flexibility coupled with her interest in sustainable development has allowed her to grow quickly in her job capabilities, despite her few years of actual working experience. She is one of the younger members of the Cayuga team and looks forward to taking on new challenges. . Maria Jose is fluent in English and Spanish. |
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| Millay Kogan | ||
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Millay Kogan came to Costa Rica and Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality directly after graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Hotel Administration. She began work as a Sustainability Coordinator at Lapa Rios Ecolodge, and currently works as the Sustainability Coordinator for all of Cayuga´s properties, coupling her service knowledge gained from Cornell with her newly found passion for sustainable development and management. She is extremely passionate about sustainable development, the environment and community work ,and is an active member of Women of the Osa and the Asociacion Costarricense para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza (ASCONA), both of which work towards the conservation of the Osa Peninsula. |
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| Elsa Goicoechea | ||
Elsa joined the Cayuga Team in 2007 after working for two years at the Marriott Courtyard as Group and Events Manager. Elsa was born and raised in Costa Rica and studied Hotel Administration at the Universidad Latina in San Jose. Elsa's focus as Operations Manager, as well as her excellent attention to detail and passion for her work, allows her to support all hotel managers and ensure the highest of operating standards at each property. She is fluent in English and Spanish and proficient in Italian, as she lived one year in Florence, Italy. |
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| Arnay García | ||
Arnay Garcia was born in Guanacaste, Costa Rica but moved to the Osa Peninsula at a very young age. He later moved to San Jose to finish high school and study Economics. He has extensive experience working in the publishing industry, where he worked as the Production and Distribution Manager for one of Costa Rica 's most prestigious newspapers, La Republica. His dream to be reunited with his family and to return to the jungles of the Osa Peninsula, motivated Arnay to begin work in the hospitality industry and join Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality. Arnay is currently working as the Administrative Manager for Lapa Rios Ecolodge, and is fluent in English and Spanish. |
