Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina

What Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina does

Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina operates a 10-room luxury boutique hotel housed in a totally renovated and remodeled Colonial House dating from the 18th century, located in Santa Marta's historic centre in Colombia's Magdalena department. The property re-opened in December 2013 and officially launched operations in 2014, offering accommodation ranging from 25m² standard Twin-Double rooms to an 80m² duplex Loft, with a maximum occupancy of 25 guests. The hotel is privately owned and managed by a Santa Marta/English couple, supported by a 15-person multilingual team. It has received the TripAdvisor Travellers Choice award every consecutive year since 2014 and has served over 1,500 guests in its first twelve months of operation, with 60% of guests traveling from outside Colombia.

The product surface extends well beyond rooms. On-property amenities include Eli's Restaurant (a fusion-dining venue led by Head Chef Ana Mendoza), Bamboo Spa (rooftop therapeutic treatments in a bamboo hut setting with sea views), Cafe Carolina (a 50-seat cafe-bar operating 7am-10pm), and recreational facilities comprising a 35m² pool (described as the largest pool in Santa Marta's historic centre), two jacuzzis, roof terraces, and sun decks. Complementary services include organized tours and excursions (notably to Parque Tayrona, Playa Cristal, and Bahia Concha), a private 24-foot speedboat named Samoa for exclusive charters, wedding planning, concierge coordination of transport and activities, and a 360° virtual tour. Technology infrastructure features solar panels, low-energy LED lighting, air conditioning, and Google Nexus tablets available in rooms for guest use, while bookings are processed through a Lobby PMS engine accessible in English, Spanish, and French.

The business model is direct-to-consumer, with revenue generated across five streams: room accommodation, on-site F&B (Eli's Restaurant and Cafe Carolina), spa services, boat charters, and tour commissions/fees. Distribution channels include the hotel's own multilingual website, TripAdvisor listings, and partnerships with Magic Tours for Parque Tayrona excursions and with scuba diving schools in Taganga and Nautica Velero for water sports referrals. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with rate positioning described as accessible luxury; selected add-ons are visible, such as Playa Cristal tours at approximately 90,000 COP (USD 30) and private boat charters at roughly 2-3 million COP (USD 1,000-1,500) per day. Customer segments span couples and romance travelers, families, bachelor/bachelorette groups, and budget-conscious backpackers seeking an upscale boutique experience in the Colombian Caribbean coast.

Name

Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina

Legal name

Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina

Website

https://hotelcasacarolina.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina is a 10-room luxury boutique hotel in a restored 18th-century colonial building in Santa Marta, Colombia, serving international tourists, couples, and families with accommodation, on-site dining, spa, and tour services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boutique Hotel Hospitality

NAICS

Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011)

akta.pro primary industry

Heritage & Historic Boutique Hotels (THAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hotel & Resort Restaurants (THAFACAH)

Keywords

• Boutique hotel services
• Luxury accommodation
• Spa treatments
• Guided tours
• Fine dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Marta

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hotel Accommodation: Revenue from renting ten unique luxury rooms to guests seeking boutique hotel experiences in Santa Marta's historic centre. Rooms range from standard Twin-Doubles of 25m² to a duplex Loft of 80m², with maximum capacity of 25 guests.
2. Eli's Restaurant Dining: On-site gourmet restaurant offering fusion menu in historic colonial setting, poolside dining, and romantic rooftop terrace. Also offers lounge menu for poolside casual dining and full dining menu for elegant experiences.
3. Bamboo Spa Services: Therapeutic treatments including relaxing massages, chocolate therapy, volcanic rock massages, fruit massages, reflexology, facials, exfoliation, and waxing. Also offers four spa packages with combinations of treatments at discounted prices.
4. Boat Tours and Charters: Private boat service offering exclusive beach trips, fishing excursions, and tours to Parque Tayrona. The hotel has a 24-foot speedboat called Samoa available for private charter or group trips.
5. Organized Tours and Concierge Services: Bespoke concierge services including organizing transport, booking activities and tours, and recommending dining and nightlife options. Also offers day-stay 'pasadias' packages combining spa treatments with pool, jacuzzi, and restaurant access.
6. Cafe Carolina: Gourmet restaurant-cafe-bar available from 7am-10pm with approximately 50 seats, offering freshly brewed coffee and light refreshments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina operates a 10-room luxury boutique hotel in a restored 18th-century colonial building in Santa Marta's historic centre. The property offers integrated hospitality services including on-site fusion dining at Eli's Restaurant, therapeutic treatments at Bamboo Spa, organized excursions and private boat tours, and wedding planning services.

Product overview

Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina is a luxury boutique hotel operating as a single-property offering with integrated services. The core product is hotel accommodation with 10 uniquely designed rooms ranging from 25m² standard rooms to an 80m² duplex loft. Supporting services include Eli's Restaurant (on-site fusion dining), Bamboo Spa (therapeutic treatments), organized tours and excursions (including private boat trips), wedding services, and recreational facilities (pool, jacuzzis, terraces). A complimentary 360° virtual tour is also available. The hotel positions itself as a Tripadvisor Travellers Choice winner since 2014, emphasizing personalized service and Colombian experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eli's Restaurant: On-site gourmet fusion restaurant located in a historic colonial setting, poolside, on the romantic rooftop terrace. Offers contemporary cuisine with vegetarian and vegan options.
• Bamboo Spa
• Cafe Carolina

Products and services

• Hotel Accommodation Luxury boutique hotel accommodation offering 10 unique rooms ranging from 25m² standard Twin-Doubles to an 80m² duplex Loft, accommodating up to 25 guests, with contemporary design fused with colonial heritage in Santa Marta's historic centre.
• Eli's Restaurant On-site gourmet fusion restaurant offering a contemporary menu with Colombian flair in a historic colonial setting, with poolside, lounge, and rooftop terrace dining options. Includes Cafe Carolina cafe-bar with approximately 50 seats operating from 7am-10pm.
• Bamboo Spa On-site rooftop spa set in a traditional bamboo hut offering therapeutic treatments including relaxing massages, chocolate therapy, volcanic rock massages, fruit massages, reflexology, facials, exfoliation, and waxing. Four spa packages combine treatments at discounted prices.
• Organized Tours and Boat Charters Bespoke concierge services organizing transport, activities, and tours to Parque Tayrona, Minca, Taganga, and surrounding attractions. Includes a 24-foot speedboat (Samoa) available for private charter or group trips to exclusive beaches, plus day-stay pasadias packages combining spa, pool, jacuzzi, and restaurant access.
• Wedding Services Wedding planning services for ceremonies and receptions in Santa Marta, leveraging the region's beaches, tropical forests, and colonial settings for romantic destination weddings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,500 guests welcomed in first twelve months of operations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Magic TourscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMagic Tours offers all-day trips to Parque Tayrona including transport, guide, and lunch. Specializes in cultural tours to Pueblito, an indigenous village in Parque Tayrona foothills, with six hours of hiking covering several beaches. Also offers trips by road and sea to Cabo San Juan, Playa Cristal, and Bahia Concha including lunch, park entrance, and two-way transport.
• Nautica Velero (Puerto Velero)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWindsurf and kitesurf school located two hours from the hotel at Puerto Velero near Barranquilla. Offers conditions suitable for beginners up to experts, with 10-30 knot winds, wave sailing, and flatwater conditions. Nautica Velero is owned by a personal friend of the hotel owners, Carlos, with fully equipped school, modern equipment, qualified instructors, rooms, and restaurant.
• Various Scuba Diving Schools in TagangaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel works with numerous scuba diving schools in nearby Taganga for guests interested in diving certification and underwater exploration. Taganga has dozens of diving schools known for economical certification courses.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hilton Garden Inn Santa Marta: International chain hotel operating in Santa Marta with broader brand backing. Overlaps with Casa Carolina on the corporate and leisure traveller segment in the same city, but serves a less experience-driven, more standardized guest.
• Six Senses: International luxury hospitality brand known for wellness-led boutique resorts in heritage and natural settings. Comparable on the experiential luxury, spa, and sustainability positioning Casa Carolina emphasizes, but with a global brand footprint and larger resort scale.
• Belmond (LVMH) — Caribbean & Latin America properties: Luxury heritage hotel collection operating restored colonial and historic properties across Latin America. Comparable on the heritage-luxury boutique positioning and Caribbean/colonial aesthetic that Casa Carolina cultivates, though at substantially larger scale and price points.
• Sofitel Santa Marta: Luxury international brand presence in Santa Marta competing for high-end leisure travellers. Comparable on luxury positioning and full-service amenities, but operates as part of a global chain portfolio rather than an independent heritage boutique.

Direct peers

• Hotel Esencia: Small luxury heritage-style boutique on Mexico's Caribbean coast with a similarly intimate scale (under 30 rooms), curated experiences, spa, and gourmet dining. Closest international analogue for Casa Carolina's positioning as a small experiential luxury property on a Caribbean coast.
• Hotel Boutique Casa de Isabella: Independently operated small boutique hotel in Santa Marta's historic centre. Directly comparable on heritage-boutique positioning, intimate scale, and historic-centre location within the same competitive set for Casa Carolina's primary catchment area.
• Casa San Agustín: Boutique heritage hotel set in restored colonial buildings in Cartagena's walled city. Highly comparable in concept — small luxury footprint, restored 17th/18th-century architecture, fine dining, and personalized service — for the same Colombian Caribbean heritage-boutique traveller.

Emerging players

• Selina Santa Marta: Network of design-led hostels and boutique accommodations including a Santa Marta location. Comparable as a competing Santa Marta accommodation brand targeting experience-seeking travellers, but at a lower price point and with hostel-style shared facilities.
• Casa Bonay: Independent design-forward boutique hotel in Barcelona with on-site restaurant, bar, and curated guest programming. Comparable as a small independent urban/heritage boutique combining restaurant, bar, and design-led guest experience in a restored historic building.

Regional players

• Hotel Irotama Resort: Established all-inclusive beach resort in Santa Marta with substantially larger room count. Comparable as the dominant competitor hotel in the same destination city targeting similar Caribbean leisure travellers, though at a different scale and price tier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hotelcasacarolina
• Instagraminstagram.com/hotelcasacarolina
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hotel-boutique-casa-carolina

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina