Birricito, Heredia, Costa Rica 7 · MongeNajera · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped
Hilton announced on Sept. 24, 2026, that Montara Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, has opened in the mountains of Heredia, Costa Rica, as the first Tapestry Collection hotel in Costa Rica and Central America. The 97-room property, including 38 suites, sits about 13 miles (20 kilometers) from Juan Santamaria International Airport and downtown San Jose, according to the company’s Stories From Hilton release.
Travelers who want a mountain first night or last night near the capital can now book a Hilton Honors stay instead of treating Heredia as a pass-through. That choice sits next to beach and rainforest bases in Deep Arrival’s where to stay in Costa Rica comparison.
- Opened: Sept. 24, 2026, in Heredia, Costa Rica.
- Scale: 97 rooms, including 38 suites, on about 540,000 square feet of grounds.
- Airport: About 13 miles (20 kilometers) from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO).
- Brand first: First Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel in Costa Rica and Central America.
- Book: Hilton Honors direct booking, with points-and-money, member discount, and free standard Wi-Fi.
97 Rooms Sit 13 Miles From San Jose Airport
Hilton describes Montara Hotel as a revitalized mountain retreat overlooking Costa Rica’s Central Valley, with more than 130,000 square feet of built space on lush grounds. Guest rooms include private balconies and firepits, and the company says the interiors use warm wood, organic textures, and wide windows facing mountains, gardens, and private lakes.
The location is the practical hook for a San Jose arrival or departure. Thirteen miles from SJO is a short transfer compared with a same-day drive to La Fortuna or the Pacific coast, so the hotel is built as a first-night or last-night stop as well as a stay in its own right. Hilton also names La Fortuna de San Carlos and Tortuguero as onward destinations guests can reach after the mountain night.
La Nacion reported in December 2025 that the project sits in San Rafael de Heredia on the site of the former Hotel La Condesa, which closed in October 2014. That local record is useful for maps and taxi instructions: ask for San Rafael de Heredia, not a downtown San Jose address.
Dining Rooms, Spa Hours, and Event Space
Hilton lists four dining concepts. Bosco is the signature restaurant, pairing seasonal Costa Rican ingredients with international techniques and an on-site organic garden. Santoro is a steakhouse led by chef Regis Molina, with fire cooking and an open kitchen. The 1998 Lobby Bar serves cocktails, and a juice bar sits near the pool and fitness areas.
The spa covers about 13,200 square feet and is described as the wellness core of the hotel, with hydrotherapy, facial therapies, open-air decks, meditation areas, and private nature trails. Event space is about 12,700 square feet for corporate retreats, weddings, and social events. Those figures matter if you are booking a group, a treatment window, or a celebration rather than a simple overnight.
Art is part of the pitch. Hilton says an exclusive collection includes work by Costa Rican painter Mario Maffioli, a National Painting Award recipient, and Fabio Herrera, whose work is in the collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Sustainability notes in the same release include solar panels, 100 percent LED lighting, electric maintenance equipment, a wastewater plant for irrigation reuse, rainwater collection, and hydration stations meant to cut single-use plastics.
Hilton Honors Booking Rules for This Opening
Montara Hotel is in Hilton Honors, so a direct booking can mix points and money, take the member discount, and include free standard Wi-Fi through the Hilton Honors app. Hilton did not publish a public rate in the opening release. Treat any third-party nightly figure from 2025 as stale until the live Hilton booking path shows a current price for your dates.
La Nacion wrote in December 2025 that Hilton’s site was already taking reservations, with stay availability then listed from November 2026, and it cited then-current rates around $140 a night plus a no-pets rule. Hilton’s Sept. 24, 2026, release moves the story: the hotel is open now, dining has four concepts rather than the two restaurants in that earlier local brief, and the company does not restate a public rate or pet rule. Confirm both on the live booking path before you pack a pet or assume a $140 night.
If you hold elite status or a free-night certificate, this is the first Tapestry Collection stay in Central America where those benefits apply. Tapestry is in Hilton’s lifestyle group with Curio Collection and Outset Collection. Benefits follow the Tapestry and Honors rules for the night you book, not a Waldorf or Hilton Hotels & Resorts ladder from another Costa Rica property.
Nearby Parks From a Heredia Base
Hilton names Braulio Carrillo National Park, Poas Volcano, and La Paz Waterfall Gardens as nearby attractions. Those are Central Valley day trips, not a substitute for a Tortuguero canal night or a La Fortuna volcano stay. Use this hotel when the itinerary already includes San Jose air, a Poas or waterfall day, or a buffer night after a long inbound flight.
Deep Arrival’s things to do in Costa Rica guide is the next planning page if you are still choosing between a mountain night and a beach or park base. Keep the hotel’s 13-mile airport math in that comparison: it wins on transfer time and loses if your whole trip is Guanacaste or Manuel Antonio with no capital-city flight.
Hilton already signed other Costa Rica product, including a later LXR project at Manuel Antonio. Deep Arrival covered that separate 2029 pipeline in Hilton’s Marave LXR signing. Montara is the 2026 stay you can book now; Marave is not a substitute night.
Former La Condesa Site and Hilton’s Costa Rica Pipeline
El Observador reported on Jan. 18, 2026, that Hilton then operated 19 hotels in Costa Rica and listed Montara Hotel as a 2026 opening with 97 rooms on the former La Condesa site. The same report named a 2027 Heredia Stadium Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, with 191 rooms, and a Tru by Hilton San Jose Airport project then aimed at 2029. Those later hotels are not open and should not be booked as if they were.
Hilton’s opening release puts the company at 315 hotels and resorts across more than 35 countries and territories in the Caribbean and Latin America, with 150 properties in development. For a traveler, the usable fact is narrower: Tapestry now has a live Costa Rica address, and it is a mountain hotel near SJO rather than a beach resort.
La Nacion’s 2014 record on La Condesa, including a social-security debt and a worker dispute at closure, explains why locals still use the old name. It does not describe current operations. For a 2026 stay, use Hilton’s open date, room count, and Honors booking path, and treat the La Condesa history as location context only.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Land at SJO late or fly out early | Book Montara as a first or last night. It is about 13 miles from the airport and downtown San Jose. |
| Want Poas, Braulio Carrillo, or La Paz Waterfall Gardens | Use Heredia as the base and keep beach or Tortuguero nights on other dates. |
| Hold Hilton Honors points or a free night | Book direct for points-and-money, the member discount, and free standard Wi-Fi. Confirm Tapestry benefit rules for your night. |
| Need a 2027 Heredia stadium hotel or a 2029 airport Tru | Do not treat those pipeline hotels as open. Only Montara is confirmed open as of Sept. 24, 2026. |
Sept. 24, 2026, is the open date. Hilton says the hotel is receiving guests now. A December 2025 local report that stays would start in November 2026 is out of date.
SJO transfer time is the booking filter. If your itinerary never touches San Jose or the Central Valley, a Guanacaste or Manuel Antonio hotel still fits better.
Rates and pets are live-path checks. Hilton did not restate a public rate or a pet rule in the opening release. Confirm both before you lock a nonrefundable night.
When did Montara Hotel open in Heredia?
Hilton announced the opening on Sept. 24, 2026. The hotel is open for stays as of that date, earlier than a December 2025 local report that listed November 2026 availability.
How far is Montara Hotel from San Jose airport?
Hilton says the hotel is about 13 miles (20 kilometers) from Juan Santamaria International Airport and downtown San Jose. Budget a short Central Valley transfer, not a coast-to-capital drive.
How many rooms does Montara Hotel have?
Hilton lists 97 rooms, including 38 suites, on about 540,000 square feet of grounds with more than 130,000 square feet of built space.
Is this the first Hilton Tapestry hotel in Central America?
Yes. Hilton says Montara Hotel is the first Tapestry Collection by Hilton property in Costa Rica and in Central America.
Can I use Hilton Honors points at Montara Hotel?
Yes. Hilton says the hotel is part of Hilton Honors. Members who book direct can use a points-and-money slider, a member discount, free standard Wi-Fi, and the Hilton Honors app.
Is Montara Hotel the same as Hotel La Condesa?
It occupies the former Hotel La Condesa site in San Rafael de Heredia, which closed in 2014, according to La Nacion and El Observador. Current operations, dining, and booking run under the Montara Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton name.
