Porta Hotel Antigua

Overview

Description

Antigua, Guatemala is a city suspended in time. The combination of a venerable past with its people and traditions make it one of the world’s most enchanting sites. Visiting it is to go back in time and wander amongst poetry and history, collapsed walls, colorful bougainvilleas on rooftops, silences and legends, artisan's working hands, and the aromas of incense and candlesticks. From its streets, plazas, and monuments in ruin, this is a city that speaks of and evokes a history for the imagination to fill in.

Visits to Antigua are more than simply touring a forgotten past because its people, traditions, and culture give life and warmth to the experience. As César Brañas, one of our elder poets has said, “One always returns to the city of Antigua.”

Antigua Guatemala, named as such to distinguish it from Guatemala City, has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, not just as an example of the Guatemalan colonial era, but also for the conservation and beauty of its baroque architecture and many monuments, museums, and ruins.

Some of the city’s attractions are Volcán de Agua, Finca Filadelfia, and the Antigua Butterfly Garden. You can go on a canopy tour, visit macadamia nut plantations, check out the local market and shop for handicrafts and jade, visit nearby communities, and more.

Rooms

110 rooms: 1 master suite, 6 junior suites, 57 premium rooms, 22 deluxe rooms, and 24 standard rooms.

Making a Difference

Number of employees: 160

Percentage of local employees: 90%

Porta Hotels make major efforts in environmental, socio-cultural, and entrepreneurial areas. Our hotels are among the leading and pioneering businesses in Guatemala in the field of sustainability, and we obtained GREAT Green Deal Certification in October 2010, a well-known sustainable tourism certification program. This certification confirms our commitment to sustainability and the implementation of best practices in sustainable tourism in all Porta Hotel operations.

Porta Hotel Antigua was the first hotel in Antigua to demonstrate complete commitment to the preservation of the culture and environmental stewardship.

As part of our commitment to the sustainable development of our destination, in 2013 we started the Cooking for Hope project, which aims to build food preparation and service capacity in communities near Antigua. Our desire is to provide opportunities so that local residents have better living conditions by creating better jobs and overcoming social problems. We also want to contribute to the health and hygiene of the community by teaching proper food handling. The project is currently in the pilot phase. In the future we hope to replicate this project at destinations where we have other hotels.

Porta Hotels also actively supports the Let’s Plant 1,000 Trees movement, whose objective is to compensate environmental damage through the reforestation of our country to support the recovery of its ecosystems.

Getting There

Nearest international airport: Guatemala (GUA)

Travel time to nearest airport: 45 minutes

Additional Information

Awards or Recognitions

• Tourism Without Borders Excellence Award, Gold level, awarded by the Central America Federation of Chambers of Tourism in October 2012.
• Top Five Hotels in Central America in 2009, selected by Condé Nast Traveler magazine.

Date This Information Was Provided

July 2013.

Photos courtesy of Porta Hotel Antigua, Guatemala, for SustainableTrip.org.