Ray Soto Leads Management Team at Palermo Hotel and Resort in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

Dec. 12, 2009 – Everyone appreciates a warm welcome when they start a new job, but Ray Soto, the new General Manager of Palermo Hotel and Resort at Villas de Palermo in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua was greeted by a full-house of 200 guests. Ray received many congratulations as guests recognized him from previous general management positions in high-end properties in Nicaragua and the US. In his role as General Manager of Palermo Hotel and Resort, Ray is responsible for all aspects of the hotel, including food and beverage, leisure, event management and business facilities.

Ray Soto joins Palermo Hotel and Resort with more than 30 years of international hospitality experience. An experienced hotelier, Ray Soto has held managerial positions with leading international five star hotels and brands across the United States and Nicaragua including Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, Hilton and the Seminole property in Managua.

“With his extensive experience and proven record of success at some of the country’s leading hotels, we are extremely confident that Ray Soto will be an excellent addition to our management team in San Juan del Sur,” commented Harry Vonk, Chairman of the Board for Empresa Turistica del Pacifico, S.A., the operating company of the Palermo Hotel and Resort inside the Villas de Palermo residential community.

Ray Soto joined Palermo Hotel and Resort in May 2009 as Consulting General Manager: “It has been a great opportunity to join the creative team of Palermo Hotel and Resort and now I am honored to take on the full-time position of General Manager. I look forward to steering the property into the future”.

San Juan del Sur’s most private luxury brand offers a choice of One Suite Villas, Two Suite Villas and a truly upscale experience in the outstanding Luxury Villas nearest to the clubhouse. Palermo Hotel and Resort offers an unmatched San Juan del Sur experience; and has brought an innovative touch to Nicaraguan hospitality with the perfect combination of style and affordability mixed with dramatic architecture and global marketing.

Ray’s coming aboard as General Manager is an important step in building the management team for Palermo Hotel and Resort’s anticipated growth. With ambitious plans to grow its level of service and destination event business, Palermo Hotel and Resort’s organizational structure is now better aligned to successfully manage Palermo’s increasing growth and change.

“We are very much looking forward to welcoming Ray Soto to the Palermo family. His exceptional background, achievements and dedicated levels of service make him the ideal hotelier to lead our team at Palermo Hotel and Resort to greater success.”, said Claudia Rodriguez, assistant manager at the hotel.

Ray has more than 30 years of experience and education in hospitality services operations and management. Ray holds a Bachelor of Management degree from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Food and Beverage Management and Hotel Administration from Florida International University.

Ray spent a number of years with the Hilton organization and received extensive training through Hilton’s in-house training programs. He managed properties in the US and was general manager at the Princess, Camino Real and Seminole Plaza properties in Managua, Nicaragua. He opened Hotel Victoriano in San Juan del Sur and provided initial training for the staff. He has also managed food and beverage operations including the Banquet Department of the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami. He is fluent in Spanish and English. Ray is a native of Cuba, a citizen of the USA, has lived and worked in the United States and now lives in Nicaragua with his wife and daughters. Ray’s family also includes two sons who are in university in the US.

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The Palermo Hotel in San Juan del Sur, a city that bridges Costa Rica and Nicaragua on the Pacific Ocean. The hotel features 100 suites in 50 villas, flexible in-room work spaces, full-kitchens and room service, wireless broadband connectivity throughout the property, as well as both large and small, air-conditioned conference and meeting spaces. Terraza de Palermo Restaurant and Bar offer a dramatic dining experience overlooking the tropical pool and sunsets into the Pacific Ocean.