MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Luxury hotel to open in December in Chile's Easter Island

Easter Island is over 2,000 miles from the nearest population center

Officials from Posada de Mike Rapu, Explora's new luxury hotel on Chile's Easter Island, confirmed that it will open on December 15. Demand has been high: the hotel is almost completely booked through the remainder of the year.

According to Jesús Parrilla, commercial vice president of Explora, the firm has booked reservations for 80% of the hotel's capacity during the first 15 days of operation. Chileans, Canadians and English will be amongst the first guests of the hotel, where a three-day stay starts at US$2,634 for a single room and US$3,588 for a double. With an investment of US$12 million, the hotel contains 30 rooms?26 standard and four suites?and has a capacity for 60 guests. The hotel also boasts a pool, massage salon, and open air Jacuzzis. Although Explora has been operating on the island since 2005?two Easter Island-style huts with nine rooms?the firm of Chilean businessman Pedro Ibañez, owner of food group Córpora Tres Montes, joined with Easter Islander Mike Rapu to construct a hotel of a grander scale. Due to a prohibition on non-natives owning property, Ibañez allied with Rapu, a local involved in the tourism business. Rapu ended up contributing 10 hectares (24.7 acres) for the hotel that will bear his name. The hotel is located eight kilometres from Hanga Roa on the hill of Te Miro Oone. The firm hopes to maintain an average occupancy of around 35 percent in the first year, notwithstanding external barriers that exist. The primary impediment is that the current Easter Island air route is flown exclusively by LAN, with five weekly flights to the island. "It is important that LAN increase the number of flights" said Josef Stirnimann, Explora's general manager. Explora and LAN have teamed to launch a US$200,000 campaign promoting the destination to the rest of the world. "The Chilean government also has to provide more resources to promote tourism" said Stirnimann. Explora is considering future expansion into other parts of South America,these plans include projects in Cusco, Peru and also Cachi, in northern Argentina. The Santiago Times