Pioneering sustainable tourism

In honor of International Women’s Day, we wanted to profile Andrea Bonilla, Managing Director at Cayuga. Andrea is in charge of the operation of 6 hotels in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. She was born and raised in Costa Rica, where she spent most of her youth at her parents' farm in Guanacaste. There she developed a strong relationship with the environment and the local culture, recognizing the benefits to sustaining and uniting people and their place. In 1992, she seized the opportunity to study Hotel Administration at the Cornell Hotel School in Ithaca, New York. After graduating and working in hotel management positions in Africa and Central America, she founded her own tourism management company, Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality, focusing exclusively on small, upscale, sustainable hotels and lodges in Central America.

Cayuga has been a pioneer in bringing professional management to small ecolodges and sustainable hotels traditionally managed by founder-owners. Andrea’s commitment to unite sustainable practices and programs forward in community development, conservation and education are deeply rooted in her past and helped focus her work as General Manager at Costa Rica's award winning Ecolodge Lapa Rios. Additionally, Andrea has been instrumental in founding the non-profit Equilibrium Foundation, with goals to fund and focus educational and biodiversity conservation programs where Cayuga Hotels operate.

Andrea was recently featured on Channel 7’s, Tips Para el Exito (Tips for Success). You can check out the video here. She is happily married and the mother of two beautiful boys, ages 3 ½ and 6 months. She balances her work and personal life by knowing what her priorities are: her family is always at the top of the list. Cayuga is her passion, although it’s not just her job that she’s passionate about but the people she works with as well, who she considers extended family and close friends. She is also mindful that taking time for herself (at least one hour a day!) to attend a yoga class or get a massage is key to maintaining balance as is spending time with friends and having fun!