Costa Elena Resort Community Study

Pellas Development Group (PDG) sought to position Costa Elena, a luxury retreat property in Costa Rica, within the global luxury travel market. The opportunity centered on destination development improvements and potential assets, including a branded luxury hotel and residences and experiential tourism services.

The effort also considered future tourism opportunities for the development and new visitor markets supported by proposed flight development. The team collaborated with the Costa Rican Tourism Ministry, Guanacaste Airport, local development partners, and Discover Puerto Rico as part of evaluating these opportunities.

Hunden Partners’ Executive Vice President of Consulting, Bethanie DeRose, was retained to support PDG in evaluating and recommending destination development improvements and identifying overall asset development opportunities for Costa Elena.

Key components of the study included:

• Tourism Trends and Costa Rica Tourism Economy Analysis
• Primary Research and Stakeholder Engagement
• Visitor and Financial Modeling
• Hospitality Brand and Developer Interest Testing
• Recommendations and Solicitation of Investor Partners

Phase One was delivered in December 2021. Phase Two, focused on sourcing investment and development partners, is currently ongoing.

Costa Elena has continued to advance as a 3,000-acre, master-planned community, highlighted by plans for a 415-room JW Marriott All-Inclusive Resort with 11 food and beverage venues, 17 pools, and a 16,000-square-foot spa. The development has also opened its first private beach club and continues to preserve more than 60 percent of its land as protected open space adjacent to the 400,000-acre Área de Conservación Guanacaste.