Hotel con Corazón opened its doors in 2008 after founders Onno Oostveen and Marcel Zuidhof agreed they wanted to impact the world. The pair decided to start their journey in Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in Latin America.

Hotel Con Corazón’s Heartfelt Journey to Nicaragua

Oostveen and Zuidhof traveled to Nicaragua during a holiday in 2006. While there, they noted the lively potential for tourism and the lack of funding for education. By 2008, the pair had moved to Nicaragua and decided to support the local community by opening Hotel con Corazón. The pair now employs a fantastic team that supports the hotel and even employs teachers for schools.

Empowering Youths in Nicaragua, One Stay at a Time

Hotel con Corazón mission is to provide accessible education for children in need within Latin America. The World Bank has reported that 70% of 10-year-olds in Nicaragua cannot read or understand basic texts. The lack of education for children may result in a lack of earnings in the future. More than 60% of children in Nicaragua are living in educational poverty. Hotel con Corazón aims to give back the chance of a bright future for the youths of Nicaragua. It hopes that youths can stop the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families by doing this.

Since its first hotel opened to the public in Granada, Nicaragua, the hotel company has assisted 250 children annually through primary and higher levels of education. In 2024, the hotel group will have supported an estimated 4,000 children in completing their education. Hotel con Corazón invests 100% of its profits into local education. The hotel is aesthetically designed and boasts a swimming pool and a bar where guests can buy drinks and food. It also has two patios where visitors can relax and enjoy breakfast or lunch. Additionally, it provides free Wi-Fi and entertainment for guests.

Guest profits provide the hotel with funding to support extracurricular activities for youth and parental workshops. In addition to helping youth through education, Hotel con Corazón offers development and income opportunities to several Nicaraguans each year. It further supports the local economy by buying produce from the community and running a commercial business. The hotel group can support 22 employees in its Nicaraguan hotel, where it also offers development programs so that employees have access to further education for themselves or their children. The hotel has made several positive impacts on Nicaragua, supporting the country through poverty in as many ways as it can.

Outreach to Oaxaca

In 2018, the hotel group decided to expand its social impact. Therefore, it opened the first Hotel con Corazón in one of the poorest cities in Mexico. According to the World Bank, 26% of Mexican children are not enrolled in pre-primary education and only 57% of 10-year-olds can read. Oaxaca is rated the second lowest city in Mexico for its education levels. Hotel con Corazón’s Oaxaca branch continues a similar vision as it does in Nicaragua.

The company invests all profits from guest stays and purchases made in bars and its hotel shop into education at all levels in Oaxaca. The hotel supports the Oaxaca Learning Center, which runs a motivational program for 60-70 youths and funds educational costs for those who most need it. Hotel con Corazón is also partnered with Mundo de Talentos, a nonprofit organization that provides children with free occupational guidance. Mundo de Talentos originated in Chiapas, Mexico. In 2023, Hotel con Corazón funded the nonprofit to expand its reach to Oaxaca. This funding enabled the nonprofit to begin its annual program in Oaxaca with 40 students enrolled.

Additionally, Hotel con Corazón has created a learning space within Oaxaca, where young people can learn trading skills that they can use in hospitality work. It offers apprenticeships to unemployed youths who are also not in education and aims to help them find work they can enjoy. For the youths already in education, Hotel con Corazón offers apprenticeships where young people have the potential to train in its Oaxacan hotel.

The Final Resort

Hotel con Corazón has made impressive impacts in changing the lives of youths through education and supporting the countries it operates in through poverty. The hotel group’s latest mission is spreading love in Latin America. It plans to open 10 more hotels in the next 10 years. The aim is to regenerate its educational and motivational schemes for the poorest parts of Latin America that need the most help. It has already begun building three branches in Costa Rica and Mexico. By 2025, its newest branch will open for guests in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

– Raquel Smith

Raquel is based in London, UK and focuses on Business and Good News for The Borgen Project.

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