SPECIAL REPORT
Responsibility PAYS
Volcano at Nayara Tented Camp in Costa Rica
LEO GHITIS ’ NAYARA RESORTS CONTINUES TO THRIVE AS GUESTS LOOK FOR OFF-THE-BEATEN PATH , SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE EXPERIENCES .
by JEFF WEINSTEIN , EDITOR IN CHIEF
Leo Ghitis had reached a stage in life where he was starting to realize he had to think more about how he could impact the world and leave a legacy . A native of Cali , Columbia , he came to the United States as a 17-year-old , eventually earned a Harvard MBA and became a successful real estate developer – first with Trammel Crow and then on his own . Then , some 20 years ago , in his mid-40s , a set of circumstances landed him in the rainforests of Costa Rica trying to help a friend of the family salvage a struggling 3-star , 20-room hotel with multiple partners . Through the process of buying out the partners to take a majority interest in the original Nayara , he recognized a new calling that included a love for service , hospitality , and the incredible importance of sustainability , which soon led him to create a credo : being a force for good is good for business .
Today , after repositioning the original property as an ultraluxury destination with open-air restaurants , freestanding villas , private pools all steeped in the local cultural , Ghitis has three hotels in Costa Rica with some 400 employees and rates ranging from US $ 800 to US $ 1,500 . He created one of the first luxury tented camps
50 hotelsmag . com June 2022