Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has announced plans to open a 168-room hotel in Grecia, by 2028, bringing another international hotel brand to an area of Costa Rica better known for its residential communities and growing business sector than large-scale tourism. The hotel, called Wyndham Poás, will be part of El Canal, a development that will combine accommodations, restaurants, shops, entertainment and business spaces. The project will be developed by local partners associated with CR Green Valley under a Wyndham franchise agreement.
The announcement, made yesterday, reflects growing interest among hotel developers in locations outside Costa Rica’s traditional tourism destinations. Rather than focusing exclusively on beach vacations, the new property is designed to serve both international visitors and business travelers.
Grecia’s location is central to that strategy since the town sits west of Alajuela, within reach of the San Jose Airport and provides access to destinations such as La Fortuna, Arenal and Guanacaste. Developers believe the area can bring tourists looking for an overnight stop as they travel through Costa Rica, along with visitors who prefer to stay outside the busier parts of the San José metropolitan area.
The hotel is also expected to serve a growing number of business travelers. Industrial parks, free trade zones and technology companies have expanded around Alajuela and the western Central Valley, creating demand for accommodations suited to corporate visits and longer stays.
The eight-story building will offer several types of accommodations, including standard rooms measuring 36 square meters (about 388 square feet), junior suites with small kitchens, apartments and larger king suites. Plans also include an infinity pool with panoramic views, a gym, sauna, outdoor restaurant and bar, and a cold-water plunge area. A restaurant overlooking the surrounding valleys and mountains is being considered for a later phase of the development.
One of the hotel’s main features will be a convention and event center capable of accommodating 500 people. The facility is intended for business conferences, meetings, trade shows and social events, potentially bringing visitors to Grecia who might otherwise stay in San José. Guests will also have pedestrian access to Avenida El Canal, the shopping and entertainment portion of the development. That section is scheduled to open in March 2027, ahead of the hotel itself.
The project will become Wyndham’s fourth property in Costa Rica, joining its existing hotels in Tamarindo, Escazú and Belén. MarÃa Carolina Pinheiro, Wyndham’s vice president of development for Latin America and the Caribbean, said Costa Rica remains an important market for the company’s regional expansion. The Grecia project is part of its strategy to establish hotels in areas with growing tourism and business activity.
The announcement comes as Costa Rica continues adding new hotels, with international chains investing in both established vacation destinations and locations serving business travelers. Another example is the 173-room Marriott-branded Moxy hotel planned at Juan SantamarÃa International Airport, which is expected to open in 2027.
For Grecia, the Wyndham project represents an opportunity to attract more overnight visitors and business events, potentially benefiting nearby restaurants, shops and service providers. It also comes at a time when Costa Rica’s tourism industry faces pressure from rising operating costs and a strong colón, despite increases in international arrivals.
The hotel remains a planned development rather than an operating property. Its opening is targeted for 2028, although the developers have not announced an exact opening date or disclosed the total investment.
