American Airlines is the best carrier serving Latin America, according to this year’s
LatinFinance
poll of business travelers, and Mexico City’s superb Four Seasons Hotel is the best in Latin America. The results of this year’s poll are all the more telling for the remarkably high number of replies we received. Readers sent in over 1,200 questionnaires ranking airlines and hotels across the region.

We added several new categories to our poll this year, such as asking respondents to choose the best airline between Latin America and Europe. Respondents ranked British Airways first for flights to Europe and in addition, said it has the best First Class and Business Class service of any airline serving Latin America.

In the hotel category, we added several new questions, asking travelers to pick the best boutique hotel and the best conference venue as well as choosing Latin America’s top hotel. Readers voted Bogotá’s Casa Medina as the best boutique hotel. It was built as a private mansion in 1945 and converted into a 59-room hotel in 1988, and is now preserved as a national historical monument. Rio de Janeiro’s JW Marriott has the best conference facilities in Latin America, our readers say. Conveniently located in Copacabana, this modern hotel has facilities that can pack in over 200 people or as few as a dozen in comfort and style.

Participants in our poll certainly know the
region well. More than half of them travel to
Latin America between six and 45 times a
year. Over half spend more than $25,000 a
year on travel expenses, with many running
up travel tabs of $250,000 annually.

We think that the results below are particularly
meaningful given the large number
of respondents, their seniority and the
depth of their knowledge of Latin America.
Thank you to everyone who took time
to give us an opinion and make our survey
a success.

 

Regional Results

 

Best Airline Overall

1 American Airlines

2 British Airways

3 Continental 

Best Economy Class Service

1 American Airlines

2 LanChile

3 British Airways

Best Between US and Latin America

1 American Airlines

2 Continental

3 LanChile

Best Cabin Service

1 British Airways

2 American Airlines

3 LanChile 

Best Between Europe and Latin America

1 British Airways

2 Lufthansa

3 Air France 

Best Hotel in Latin America

Four Seasons, Mexico City

 

Best First Class Service

1 British Airways

2 American Airlines

3 Lufthansa 

Best Boutique Hotel

Casa Medina, Bogotá

 

Best Business Class Service

1 British Airways

2 American Airlines

3 Continental

Best Conference Hotel

JW Marriott Rio de Janerio 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Country Results 

 

Argentina

Best Airline

1 American Airlines

2 Aerolíneas Argentinas

3 LanChile

Best Hotel-Buenos Aires

1 Alvear Palace Hotel

2 Four Seasons Buenos Aires

3 Hilton Buenos Aires 

Honduras

Best Airline

1 TACA

2 American Airlines

3 Iberia

Best Hotel-San Pedro Sula

1 Real InterContinental

2 Princess San Pedro Sula

3 Portal del Angel

Best Hotel-Tegucigalpa

1 Real InterContinental Tegucigalpa

2 Crowne Plaza Tegucigalpa

3 Clarión Hotel Real Tegucigalpa 

Bolivia

Best Airline

1 American Airlines

2 Lloyd Aero Boliviano

3 LanChile

Best Hotel-La Paz

1 Radisson Plaza

2 Hotel Europa

3 Camino Real 

Mexico

Best Airline

1 Mexicana

2 American Airlines

3 Continental

Best Hotel-Mexico City

1 Four Seasons Mexico City

2 JW Marriott Mexico City

3 Camino Real Mexico City

Best Hotel-Monterrey

1 Hotel Quinta Real Monterrey

2 Hotel Presidente InterContinental

3 Sheraton Ambassador Hotel 

Brazil

Best Airline

1 Varig

2 TAM

3 American Airlines

Best Hotel-Brasília

1 Blue Tree Park Brasília

2 Hotel Nacional

3 Naoum Plaza Hotel

Best Hotel-Rio de Janeiro

1 Copacabana Palace

2 Caesar Park Hotel Ipanama

3 InterContinental Rio

Best Hotel-São Paulo

1 Renaissance São Paulo

2 Grand Hyatt

3 InterContinental São Paulo 

Nicaragua

Best Airline

1 American Airlines

2 TACA

3 Continental

Best Hotel-Managua

1 Real InterContinental Metrocentro

2 Hotel Crowne Plaza

3 Hotel Princess Managua 

 

Chile

Best Airline

1 LanChile

2 American Airlines

3 LanPeru

Best Hotel-Santiago

1 Hyatt Regency

2 Ritz Carlton

3 San Cristóbal Tower 

Panama

Best Airline

1 Copa

2 Continental

3 American Airlines

Best Hotel-Panama City

1 Panama Marriott

2 Miramar InterContinental Panama

3 The Bristol 

Colombia

Best Airline

1 Avianca

2 Continental

3 American Airlines

Best Hotel-Bogotá

1 Casa Medina

2 Sofitel Victoria Regia

3 Charleston

Best Hotel-Medellín

1 Hotel InterContinental Medellín

2 Four Points by Sheraton Medellín

3 Hotel Park 10 

Paraguay

Best Airline

1 TAM

2 American Airlines

3 Iberia

Best Hotel-Asunción

1 Hotel Resort and Casino Yacht

and Golf Club Paraguayo

2 Hotel Excelsior

3 Sabe Center Hotel

Costa Rica

Best Airline

1 TACA

2 American Airlines

3 Copa

Best Hotel-San José

1 Real InterContinental Costa Rica

2 Costa Rica Marriott

3 Melia Cariari Hotel

Peru

Best Airline

1 LanPeru

2 LanChile

3 American Airlines

Best Hotel-Lima

1 JW Marriott Hotel and Stellaris Casino

2 Swissôtel Lima

3 Miraflores Park Plaza 

Dominican Republic

Best Airline

1 American Airlines

2 Iberia

3 Copa

Best Hotel-La Romana

1 Casa de Campo Resort

2 Canoa Coral Hilton

3 Barceló Reina Cumayasa Golf & Marina

Best Hotel-Santo Domingo

1 Renaissance Jaragua Hotel & Casino

2 El Embajador Santo Domingo

3 V Centenario InterContinental 

Trinidad

Best Airline

1 American Airlines

2 BWIA West Indies Airline

3 Virgin Atlantic

Best Hotel-Port of Spain

1 Hilton Trinidad & Conference Center

2 Crowne Plaza Hotel

3 The Ambassador Hotel 

 

Ecuador

Best Airline

1 American Airlines

2 LanChile

3 Continental

Best Hotel-Quito

1 JW Marriott Hotel-Quito

2 Swissôtel Quito

3 Hotel Hilton Colón Quito 

Uruguay

Best Airline

1 American Airlines

Pluna (tie)

2 United

3 LanChile

Best Hotel-Montevideo

1 Sheraton Montevideo

2 Belmont House

3 Radisson Victoria Plaza 

El Salvador

Best Airline

1 TACA

2 Continental

3 American Airlines

Best Hotel-San Salvador

1 Real InterContinental

2 Princess Zona Rosa

3 Radisson Plaza Hotel Salvador 

Venezuela

Best Airline

1 American Airlines

2 Continental

3 Aeropostal

Best Hotel-Caracas

1 Tamanaco InterContinental

2 JW Marriott

3 Four Seasons

Guatemala

Best Airline

1 TACA

2 American Airlines

3 Continental

Best Hotel-Guatemala City

1
Real InterContinental Guatemala

2 Westin Camino Real Guatemala

3 Hotel Quinta Real Guatemala 

 



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