“It's very important that business leaders realize that it has to be about more that just your profit,” the U.S. businessman said.
The elephant in the room however, was that the environmental-impact study for Case's project had already been rejected by the National Technical Secretariat of the Environment Ministry (SETENA), precisely because the project lacked details for how it plans to mitigate its impact on the local environment and the community.
A new environmental-impact study — which SETENA is now evaluating — was submitted July 9. The study must be approved by SETENA before the project can move forward.
Case's proposed resort would be among the largest of several large tourism complexes in that part of the country. To be known as Cacique Costa Rica, the 263-
hectare complex would feature three five-star hotel brands, private villas, an 18-hole Tom Doak golf course and a tennis and fitness center branded with the names of former tennis stars Andre Agassi and Stefi Graf.
The project would be the first to be developed by Revolution Places LLC, a luxury tourism developer founded by Case and held by the company Revolution LLC, which Case founded in 2005.
The Cacique Point development would have several hundred rooms and villas available for travelers, as well as 300 properties for sale. Hotel brands will include small houses operated by One & Only Resorts and a spa and hotel with the Miraval brand. The One & Only in Palmilla, Mexico, offers rooms for $450-2,600 per night.
The first Phase of the Cicique project is slated for completion by 2010.
Case sited his upbringing in Hawaii as an inspiration for the project, which he said will integrate the luxury vacation complex with the local community, even going so far as to build a village that will be “a gathering place for the whole region” and include residences and local shops.