Bogotá, Colombia — April 2026. Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, located in Peninsula Papagayo (Costa Rica), has just received one of the most important recognitions in the regional hospitality industry: the award for Best New Hotel in Latin America and the Caribbean at the SAHIC Awards 2026, presented during the 20th edition of the forum held at the Fairmont Rio de Janeiro Copacabana.
For those of us who develop, furnish and contribute to high-end hospitality projects across the region, this award is more than news — it confirms that Latin America is no longer a promise but is rapidly consolidating itself as one of the most relevant hospitality investment frontiers in the world.
SAHIC (South American Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference) is the leading hospitality investment platform in Latin America and the Caribbean. Its 2026 edition gathered more than 350 executives, investors, developers and international operators from 20 countries in Rio de Janeiro, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, and others.
Unlike many other industry awards, the SAHIC Awards do not evaluate design or aesthetics alone. The committee, made up of leading figures in the sector, weighs four key variables:
Receiving the Best New Hotel of the Year award in this context means Nekajui is not simply a beautiful hotel: it is a project that is reshaping the conversation around luxury in the region.
Inaugurated in February 2025, Nekajui is the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Central and South America, an ultra-exclusive collection within the Marriott group with only a handful of properties worldwide. Its name comes from the Chorotega word “Nekajui”, the indigenous people native to the region, meaning “lush garden.”
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Peninsula Papagayo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica |
| Opening | February 2025 |
| Guest rooms and suites | 107 |
| Treetop tents | 3, with private saltwater plunge pools |
| Spa | 27,000 sq ft (one of the largest in Central America) |
| Restaurants and bars | 5 distinct culinary concepts |
| Surrounding nature reserve | 1,400 protected acres |
Access to the beach club is provided by a funicular that descends the cliffside to a private crescent-shaped beach. The main entrance is anchored by a statuesque ceiba tree, a hand-painted traditional ox cart estimated to be more than 200 years old, and a chapel featuring a mosaic of 650,000 hand-placed tiles depicting capuchin monkeys.
Nekajui’s greatest achievement is not the display of luxury, but the way it translates Chorotega culture and Guanacaste’s natural environment into the language of contemporary luxury. Spaces use local woods and stone, serene palettes inspired by the Pacific coast, and artisanal elements integrated without falling into folkloric cliché. It is a “rooted” luxury: every detail tells a story of the place.
This philosophy is exactly what the SAHIC committee highlighted: a project that elevates regional standards without relying on prefabricated global trends.
The consolidation of Latin America as a hospitality investment destination was reinforced by data shared by Arturo García Rosa, President and CEO of SAHIC, during the forum: the region now stands as one of the leading global opportunities for investors seeking real assets with steady demand and long-term appreciation potential.
The recognition awarded to Nekajui is part of a broader trend:
This is precisely where regional companies like ours come into play.
At Letto Furniture, we have spent years working with hotels, resorts and hospitality projects across Colombia, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, developing high-performance contract furniture for spaces where aesthetics, durability and comfort cannot be compromised.
That is why we celebrate this recognition for Nekajui in particular: we had the honor of contributing to the equipment of this destination, bringing our expertise in luxury hospitality furniture to a project that is now a global reference point.
Outfitting a project of this caliber requires meeting standards far beyond those of a conventional hotel:
Each of these criteria is exactly the kind of demand a project like Nekajui requires — and exactly the standard we apply to every hospitality proposal we develop.
Nekajui marks a turning point. It demonstrates that Latin America can build, operate and earn awards for hotels capable of competing with the best properties in the world — from Thailand to the Red Sea, from the Maldives to French Polynesia.
For developers, investors, hoteliers and designers planning the region’s next major projects, the message is clear: the bar has never been higher, and the region has the technical, creative and logistical capacity to meet it.
At Letto Furniture we will continue doing what we do best: partnering with the projects that are writing the future of Latin American hospitality, with furniture designed to endure, inspire and elevate every guest’s experience.
If you are leading a hotel, branded residence, restaurant or resort project and want to learn how Letto Furniture can contribute to your contract furnishing needs, let’s talk
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Nekajui is the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Latin America. Located in Peninsula Papagayo (Guanacaste, Costa Rica), it opened in February 2025 and offers 107 guest rooms and suites, three treetop tents, five culinary concepts and one of the largest spas in Central America.
SAHIC (South American Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference) is the leading hospitality investment platform in Latin America and the Caribbean. Its awards recognize the most relevant projects, professionals and operations across the regional industry.
Letto Furniture is a Colombian company specialized in contract furniture for hospitality, residential and high-end commercial projects. It serves clients across Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States, with a continuous presence at international trade shows such as NEWH.
