LOADING
Ownership created this new role to elevate the resident and guest experience. Tomas will oversee the Club at Peninsula Papagayo, the future Sports Park, food & beverage at Marina Papagayo, and the new property management and vacation rental group.
By Danielle Finnegan | March 1, 2023 | Guanacaste
Destination

Laura’s career path has been anything but traditional. After his first year studying economics at a university in Buenos Aires, he decided to take a year off and travel the world. With youth and persistence on his side, he sent out 400 resumes worldwide. Bilingual and an experienced fly fisherman, having fished in Patagonia’s legendary Rio Grande and Tierra del Fuego, he was hired at a fly fishing lodge in Wyoming, guiding discerning guests on their outdoor adventures. This experience marked the beginning of his career in hospitality.

At the end of the season, he returned home with an American accent, much to his mother’s dismay, an English teacher, but he was energized and optimistic about the experience. He went on to spend the next five seasons in Wyoming, ultimately becoming a lead guide.

Back in Buenos Aires, Tomas was on the opening team at the legendary Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt, where he worked alongside some of the world’s most talented professionals. In the Salta region of Argentina, he was the General Manager of the Grace Hotel Cafayate, where he built a reputation as a young and capable leader. Ultimately he settled in Uruguay as General Manager of the Vik Hotels, Estancia, and Bahia. At the award-winning Vik, he refined his experience building and leading teams and helped create one of the continent’s most prestigious hotel collections.

According to Tomas, his wife Luz, an avid surfer, is the true adventurer in the family. She encouraged him to take advantage of the opportunity to come to Peninsula Papagayo, although he did not need much convincing. “I feel that Peninsula Papagayo shares my core values – creating authentic and memorable experiences is every hotelier’s dream,” said Tomas.

On March 6, the Lauras will arrive in Costa Rica on their 14th wedding anniversary. Together they have four boys, Ivan, 12, twins Augustin and Gonzalo, 11, and Mateo, 7, all excited to discover their new home’s biodiversity. Tomas, for his part, loves being on the water and plans to learn to surf and deep-sea fish and to get back into golf, a game he enjoys. A gaucho at heart, he also plans to immerse himself in Guanacaste’s horse culture whenever he has free time.

“Tomas is a natural fit for our community,” COO Francesca Poddie said. “His unique combination of outdoor adventure and luxury hospitality brings a new service dimension that will help us take the member experience to another level.”

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