Entrepreneurship | Real Estate Development
Casa Oro Eco Hostel
A historic backpacker’s hostel and surf shop taken to the next level with a full remodeling inside-out. This hostel is the anchor property of Casa Oro Group offering 106 beds, surf shop, beach shuttles, tours, and a farm-to-table restaurant.
Before
After
Casa Oro was the first hostel and surf shop in San Juan del Sur, established in the early 2000s. I partnered with seasoned commercial real estate investors and together, we acquired the property and business after a thorough due diligence process that I directed. There were 12 employees and the business included- hostel, beach shuttles, tours, and a small surf shop. It was an exhilarating time of tremendous growth where I became the go-to person for everything. I had 2-month of training with the former owners, ran the business making minimal changes for 1 year, and then redesigned and remodeled the entire structure and operations of the business.
I designed and managed the construction of a third floor, wrap around balconies, expanded the surf shop, a commercial kitchen, bar and restaurant space. I custom designed all of the beds to include privacy curtains, built all of the tables and chairs from recycled and reclaimed wood, all the light fixtures were made from upcycled glass bottles. We contracted a local artisan family to craft all of our dishes for the restaurant out of clay, and commissioned 15 artists to band together and create masterpiece mural.
Hundreds of people were involved in the construction process, it was the most substantial remodeling project in the history of San Juan del Sur. From start to finish, the project was completed in just 4 months, in time to welcome a full house of guests for New Year’s. Casa Oro Eco Hostel is the largest hostel in San Juan del Sur with 106 beds and it continues to be one of the most popular hostels in the region, consistently written up in the Lonely Planet and other reputable travel publications and blogs.
