EASTER ISLAND—If there is one common-sense driver of hotel development, it’s finding an underserved market and delivering a product to meet pent-up demand. On Easter Island, one of the most remote islands on earth approximately 3,000 miles from either Tahiti or mainland Chile, two resort hotels opened in 2010 to bridge the gap between luxury and economy.
Tourism on Easter Island has grown steadily as Chile-based LAN Airlines increased flights year after year. While in 2003 the number of annual visitors was a mere 22,000, it has since risen to more than 50,000 tourists annually. Chile's Ministry of Public Works expects the number of visitors to increase to as many as 200,000 a year by 2020 and an airport expansion is set to begin construction in 2011.
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| The LEED-certified Explora hotel |
“Flights from Lima to Easter Island will save European and North American travelers up to three hours of travel time compared to the existing flights available by LAN from Santiago, Chile, to Easter Island,” said Megan Kat, LAN’s marketing communications manager. “The new route marks the first time that Easter Island will be connected to another country in South America besides Chile.” “It is a versatile destination that offers a true escape from it all for those looking to relax and get away from it all,” Kat said.
Many Tahitian government employees choose Easter Island as their vacation destination. The French represent 17% of tourists on the island. Previously, the only flights were through Santiago, Chile, or Tahiti. With LAN airlines set to begin direct flights from Lima, Peru, to Easter Island in January, the travel time for North Americans reaching the desolate Pacific outpost has become considerably easier.
New development
Nearly all hotels on Easter Island are located in or around the island’s one small town of Hanga Roa. The majority of rooms are found in simple, family-run inns that start at about US$75 dollars per double room. The island’s top hotel, Explora’s LEED-certified, all-inclusive Posada de Mike Rapu, which opened in 2007 on an isolated side of the island, costs about US$750 per person per night. Apart from Explora, all rooms on the island tend to be near the lower end of the spectrum. All properties are required by law to be owned or run in partnership with a native Easter Islander.
In 2010, several new luxury properties priced less than Explora opened—such as the Altiplanico, part of a mainland chain, and Cabañas Morerava—in an attempt to bridge the gap.
“They were designed as eco-friendly systems without sacrificing quality,” said Sebastián Cerda, who owns Cabañas Morerava. “All of our cabins were prefabricated without the use of any raw materials from the island. The aim is to alter the island as least as possible; for that reason, the cabins hover over the ground on single posts. They are equipped with solar panels that allow us to have hot water from clean energy. This system must be promoted on the island to reduce carbon-related energy consumption.
“Easter Island is a very fragile ecosystem that must be taken care of,” Cerda continued. “The basic concept was to design cabanas that help to make tourists aware of the special environment of the island, but also more and more tourists appreciate this eco-friendly approach and lifestyle.”
The classic Easter Island hotel for decades, the Hotel Hangaroa, sits on prime ocean-front property in the center of town. After it was purchased by mainland Chilean hospitality group Empresas Transoceanica in 2008, the hotel was closed for a complete overhaul. In mid-2010, with several months of construction remaining, a local clan took over the hotel claiming ancestral ownership and the January opening date has been delayed indefinitely.
“Easter Island's first hotel that was constructed during the early 1970s has been completely rebuilt as a deluxe, LEED-designated eco-property,” said Kristina Schreck, a spokeswoman for the hotel. “It will not only be the most sustainable lodge in Chile today, but will also enjoy a prime location near the village and views of the Pacific.”
When the hotel does open as the Hangaroa Eco Village & Spa, it is set to become the largest on the island and will feature 75 rooms, a full spa, a gourmet restaurant, outdoor pool, artisan's studio and a small cinema.