Fifteen Years, fifteen iconic accommodations in the history of the WTJO

On the occasion of its fifteen-year trajectory, the World Travel Journalism Organization has visited more than a hundred hotels across Latin America and the Caribbean, as part of over twenty fampress trips and professional experiences organized throughout its history. Each of these accommodations was part of a network of meetings, coverage, learning, and connections that consolidated the organization’s territorial and human work.

To mark this anniversary, the WTJO decided to give a symbolic and representative recognition to fifteen accommodations that, for various reasons, remain particularly memorable in the collective memory of its members. The chosen designation was Iconic Hotels of the WTJO Experience, a category that does not seek to rank or hierarchize, but rather to highlight the diversity, spirit of hospitality, and experiential value that these spaces contributed over the years.

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The criteria considered for inclusion in this selection were multiple and non-exclusive. Factors such as human quality in attending international delegations, openness to travel journalism, respect for local identity, the ability to generate memorable experiences, integration with the natural or cultural environment, service innovation, and the role each accommodation played in formative, institutional, or emotional experiences for the WTJO were valued. Precisely because these hotels are very different from one another, the selection reflects the plurality of perspectives and realities that characterize tourism in the region.

The fifteen Iconic Hotels of the WTJO Experience over these fifteen years are:

1. Hard Rock Hotel Panamá (now Megápolis)Map Link

2. Lopesan Costa Bávaro Resort, Spa & Casino, Dominican RepublicMap Link

3. Eco Hotel Hacienda El Diamante, Guadalajara de Buga, ColombiaMap Link

4. Hotel Loi Suites, Iguazú, Misiones, ArgentinaMap Link

5. Grutas de Tolantongo, Hidalgo, MexicoMap Link

6. Hotel Chris Park, Campos do Jordão, BrazilMap Link

7. Casa Hotel Provenza, Candelaria, ColombiaMap Link

8. La Compañía del Valle Antiguo, Los Mandarinos, Valle de Antón, PanamaMap Link

9. Casas del XVI, Santo Domingo, Dominican RepublicMap Link

10. Hotel Ivy Iguazú, Misiones, ArgentinaMap Link

11. Hotel Guadalajara de Buga, ColombiaMap Link

12. Krystal Ixtapa, Acapulco, MexicoMap Link

13. Occidental Caribe Punta Cana, Dominican RepublicMap Link

14. Hotel Boutique Quebra-Noz, Campos do Jordão, BrazilMap Link

15. Dreams Acapulco Resort & Spa, Acapulco, MexicoMap Link

The WTJO clarified that this recognition symbolically represents the more than one hundred hotels that have supported the organization in its events, fampress trips, forums, and awards, and that each of them has been an essential part of institutional growth. “We chose fifteen to tell a story, but every accommodation that opened its doors to the WTJO is part of our journey and deserves the same gratitude,” the organization stated.

This selection also seeks to highlight the diversity of Ibero-American tourism, where large international resorts, boutique hotels, urban accommodations, eco-sustainable options, and unique natural spaces coexist. A diversity that resonates with the perspective of travel journalism promoted by the WTJO since its inception: inclusive, contextual, and deeply human.