Q & A with Miguel Franco, General Manager of the Riande Continental Hotel in Panama

Panama has turned out to be a hot destination for shopping, leisure, gambling and retirement. The country’s newest enhancement plan includes the expansion of the Canal, a move that’s supposed to make all these allures far more attractive. This is what Mr. Franco had to say about all this in an exclusive interview with Caribbean News Digital.

Q.- How large is Riande’s presence in Panama and overseas right now?
A.- The presence of Riande in Panama is owed to one person named Idelfonso Riande, a man who had the vision to take a closer look at Panama as a travel destination. His first hotel was housed in a building that he eventually called the Granada Hotel. Shortly after that, he learned the owner of the Continental Hotel, a Spanish guy named Gustavo Trigos, was interested in selling that property. They sat down to talk about the details of the purchase and eventually cut a deal. A few years later, I got a call from Mr. Riande and he asked me to pitch him a hand in the remodeling of the Continental Hotel. As we speak, the lodging has 363 rooms, a lovely 3-room executive floor with butler service, a couple of suites and one presidential suite.

Q.- In addition to the Continental and Granada hotels, what other establishments does Riande run in the country?
A.- The Riande chain has a total of three hotels. The third one is a 200-room facility very near the airport, just a couple of minutes away. This particular hotel is outfitted with good-looking sport facilities, a spectacular swimming pool. Its name is Riande Aeropuerto Hotels & Resort.

Q.- What is Riande’s occupancy rate right now?
A.- We’re posting an across-the-board 65 percent occupancy rate, which it pretty high for this time of year. However, as to the market share index my hotel is on top of the list because if I happen to keep 280 rooms with guests out of a grand total of 363, then my market share index is higher than another 180-room resort that has put guests in 100 of its rooms. I don’t keep tabs on occupancy rates because my hotel has more rooms than any other establishment in the city. What I do pay heed to is the market share index. Nevertheless, I must say I’ve been watching a favorable turn of events as to the kind of guests coming to this hotel, especially over the past three months.

Q.- What kind of tourists are staying in your hotel?
A.- I was expecting that question and I love to answer it. But before I do that, I’m going to ask myself another question and I’m going to answer it as well. What’s going on in Panama right now? This country means everything to everybody right now, everything. This is a great place to spend your vacations, the right place to retire and settle down, the right spot for a shopping binge. There’s room for everybody and believe me, you’re not going to find prices as competitive as the ones here in Panama.

There are breathtaking shopping malls, as spectacular as the ones you see in places like Madrid, Buenos Aires, Paris, Berlin and New York City. Those are jaw-dropping shopping malls in which customers think they’re going to be even charged for the air that they breathe. But they’re wrong. That’s what’s going on in today’s Panama.

I’m amazed by the number of European tourists I see at this hotel. I’m talking about Frenchmen, Spaniards, Germans, Italians and even Japanese sunbathers.

Q.- Do you think this has something to do with the favorable vote linked to the Panama Canal expansion?
A.- Absolutely. One thing leads to another. There’s a huge megabuck publicity blitz moving around the real-estate market abroad. I don’t know whether you’ve seen the kind of publicity that Donald Trump’s daughter is carrying out right now. It’s a multimillion-dollar advertisement campaign beaming over Panama which is reflecting people’s increasing interest in Panama as far as real estate is concerned, but at the same time it’s selling Panama as a hot travel destination around the world.

Q.- How do you expect Riande Hotels to fare in the course of 2007?
A.- I’m very upbeat about the prospects for 2007, but I’m keeping both my feet on the ground. And I’m not only talking about our hotels, but also about the entire local travel industry. We’re going to reap great benefits, I mean all of us involved in the restaurant, hotel and tourism sector. Trade is doing well and is going to cash in on the expansion of the Panama Canal.

I believe we’re going to run out of rooms for all the tourists that will be coming to Panama over the next twelve months. A lot of people will come, you can take that to the bank.

Q.- Is there anything else you’d like to get in edgeways?
A.- My message is this: come to Panama, to the center of the world and the heart of the universe. This is a well-known phrase a Panamanian poet once said. I’m inviting al human beings to come to Panama and take a closer look at this beautiful nation, the kindness of its people, its charms. Panama is your home.