TORONTO — Following the successful opening of the Occidental Grand Cartagena in Colombia, Occidental Hotels & Resorts together with Estelar Hotels have announced a strategic marketing agreement that will allow the two companies to collaborate in a joint sales strategy for five key flagship hotels from each chain.

The alliance will enhance the visibility of Occidental Hotels & Resorts as well as Estelar Hotels in those markets where the companies currently do not have a presence. The two companies will leverage their brands with sales networks in Colombia and Peru for Estelar Hotels and Europe, the United States and Latin America for Occidental Hotels & Resorts.

The Occidental Grand Cartagena is the first luxury all-inclusive resort in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, which has been under Occidental Hotels & Resorts management since January 2012. The Latin American chain, Estelar Hotels, is a leader in the Colombian hotel industry and also features properties in Peru and Panama.

A total of 10 hotels are part of this ambitious strategic marketing alliance. Included in the partnership are the following hotels by Estelar Hotels – La Fontana (Bogota, Colombia), Hotel Estelar Milla de Oro (Medellin, Colombia), Hotel Estelar en Alto Prado (Barranquilla, Colombia), Estelar Santamar Hotel & Convention Center (Santa Marta, Colombia) and Hotel Estelar Miraflores (Lima, Perú).

Occidental Hotels & Resorts have included the following key properties – Occidental Grand Aruba (Palm Beach, Aruba), Hotel Occidental Miramar (Havana, Cuba), Occidental El Embajador (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), Occidental Grand Punta Cana (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic) and the Royal Hideaway Playacar (Playa del Carmen, Mexico).

“This agreement is another step toward our goal of diversifying and expanding the marketing strategy of our hotels,” said Miguel Diez, President Estelar Hotels. “We believe that with the inclusion of these five magnificent Estelar Hotels onto the Occidental Hotels & Resorts’ distribution and marketing platforms we will be able to expand our reach to market to a larger number of international clients.”

Jaime Buxó, Managing Director of Occidental Hotels & Resorts, said “we have seen a growth in arrivals to Caribbean destinations where Occidental has presence out of the Colombian and Peruvian markets. In recent years this number has increased with rates of over 50%. Our agreement with Estelar Hotels will allow us to improve our market share in these destinations, which are important to the company, due to their proximity and economic strength.”