Hotel Chains Take Aim At Booming Santiago Market

<B> Hotel Chains Take Aim At Booming Santiago Market</B>

By Marshall Krantz

<I>Santiago</I> - Three major international hotel chains--Sheraton, Inter-Continental and Marriott--are heating up the competition in Chile's capital city, propelled by the country's robust economy.

Sheraton added a 139-room luxury tower last November to its existing hotel; Inter-Continental next month will begin construction that will more than double the size of the 103-room hotel it acquired in December; and Marriott is building a 280-room hotel set to open in 1999.

Other major U.S. hotels here are Hyatt, which entered the Santiago market in 1992 with the 310-room Hyatt Regency Santiago, and Radisson, which opened the doors of the 160-room Radisson Royal Santiago in 1996.

The addition to the Sheraton Santiago Hotel & Convention Center, dubbed the San Cristobal Tower, targets senior business executives in what are arguably the most luxurious--and unarguably the most expensive--non-suite accommodations in Chile's capital.

Although physically connected to the 379-room Sheraton Santiago by a seven-story glass atrium, the San Cristobal Tower operates as a separate facility, with its own lobby lounge and checkin desk. Along with Sheraton hotels in Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, it is the third member of Sheraton's Luxury Collection in Latin America.

"We have companies based in Santiago like Citicorp, American Express and IBM, and customers like those need bigger rooms and high standards of service," said Sheraton general manager Norberto De Sousa.

The Sheraton complex is located at the foot of San Cristobal Hill in the upscale Providencia residential district, across the Mapocho River from the downtown financial district, a 10-minute drive away.

Standard rooms at the 22-story tower measure 454 square feet, as compared with the typical standard room size of 292 square feet at the Sheraton Santiago, De Sousa said. Hyatt Regency's standard rooms measure 518 square feet.

Rack rates at the San Cristobal Tower start at $390, about $100 more than the four-star Hyatt Regency and $100 to $200 more than the three-star Radisson Royal Santiago. Rack rates at the Sheraton Santiago, which has a corporate mix of 90 percent, start at $240. San Cristobal rooms feature an executive desk with lamp and chair, two-line speakerphone with voice mail, fax machine and modem connection with Internet access.

In addition, a business center with a conference room for up to eight people, two computer work stations, fax machines and cell phones augment the main business center in the Sheraton Santiago. That center contains three conference rooms, four computer work stations, fax machines, laptop computer and cell phone rentals, and secretarial and translation services.

Luxury amenities in the San Cristobal Tower include original artwork throughout public spaces and in guest rooms, antique mahogany furnishings in lounges and suites, classical-style furnishings in standard rooms, and large, four-fixture bathrooms. The marble-floored lobby overlooks an outdoor pool and lush gardens.

A restaurant located in the Tower Lounge serves breakfast, light lunch and dinner, and features a sweeping view of downtown Santiago. Three other restaurants are located in the adjoining Sheraton Santiago.

The Neptuno Pool and Fitness Center, available to guests at no extra charge, contains an indoor heated pool, sauna, steam bath and exercise equipment. The hotel also has two lighted tennis courts and an outdoor pool.

Enhanced guest services include 24-hour butler, concierge and room service. Complimentary full breakfast, newspaper, laundry and shoe shine also are provided.

In addition, hotel personnel assist arriving guests at the airport and arrange for transportation from the airport to the hotel by private car, which costs $25.

The convention center, which opened in September, is also a result of Chile's economic expansion, according to De Sousa. That facility contains 15,500 square feet of meeting space, including two ballrooms each divisible by three. An additional 10,200 square feet of foyer space also is available. As a coup for the newly expanded Sheraton, an inter-Americas summit of top governmental leaders will convene at the Sheraton in mid-April.

In Inter-Continental's Santiago move, the company earlier this month renamed the Sonesta Santiago Hotel the Hotel Inter-Continental Santiago, and will begin construction next month on a contiguous tower, hotel officials said.

The tower will contain 197 guest rooms, a fitness center, gourmet restaurant, lobby bar and three meeting rooms totaling 2,155 square feet. A business center will feature computers, telephones, fax machines, a photocopier and two conference rooms seating up to six people.

Standard rooms in the new tower will measure 486 square feet, compared with 300 square feet for standard, and 388 for superior rooms, in the existing hotel. Club rooms and an accompanying lounge will occupy the top seven floors of the 20-story tower. Project completion is expected by July 2000. The present property is located in the exclusive Las Condes district near the World Trade Center and U.S. Embassy.

Marriott's hotel, also to be located in Las Condes, is part of a mixed-use project that will create the tallest building in Chile--40 stories--when completed in late 1999, according to company officials.

The Santiago Marriott will contain a business center complete with secretarial and translation services, along with an executive lounge, two restaurants and a health club. The hotel's 9,344 square feet of meting space will consist of a 6,644-square-foot ballroom divisible by four, and four conference rooms. Guest rooms will contain dataports.