Hilton LXR Costa Rica Debut: Maravé Manuel Antonio Resort to Open in 2029
COSTA RICA · TRAVEL
Key Facts
—What happened: The Hilton LXR Costa Rica debut is set, with Maravé Manuel Antonio opening in 2029.
—Where it is: The resort sits on nearly 40 acres (16 hectares) of titled beachfront near Manuel Antonio National Park.
—How big: The project combines 57 hotel accommodations with 116 branded residences, the first LXR Residences in Latin America.
—The timeline: Residence sales start in autumn 2026, construction ends in late 2028 and the resort opens in 2029.
—The catch: 2029 is a projection, not a fixed date, and Hilton has not published an investment figure for the project.
—Why it matters: Costa Rica drew a record US$5.008 billion in foreign investment in 2024, and tourism is its biggest earner.
The Hilton LXR Costa Rica debut will be a seven-storey resort and residence complex on a rainforest ridge above the Pacific, minutes from the country’s most visited national park. Opening is pencilled in for 2029, with residence sales starting this autumn.
What Hilton signed in Manuel Antonio
Hilton announced the signing on 27 August 2026. The property will trade as Maravé Manuel Antonio, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and it marks the first Hilton LXR Costa Rica property.
The developer is Ocean Cove MA Development One S.A., led by its president Bruce Begia. Hilton will run the hotel under its brand while the owners keep the real estate.
The estate covers nearly 40 acres, about 16 hectares, of what Hilton calls rare titled beachfront. The land drops from a rainforest ridge to 650 feet, roughly 200 metres, of Pacific shoreline.
The hotel itself will have 57 accommodations across seven storeys. That means 42 ocean-view rooms plus 15 private bungalows on the hillside, each with its own plunge pool.
Design comes from the Costa Rican firm Carazo Arquitectura, with interiors by the Chicago studio Curioso. Hilton says the project will include the largest mass timber structure in Costa Rica.
Planned amenities include a beach club, two chef-led restaurants, a speakeasy bar and a spa. Guests will earn and burn points through Hilton Honors, the chain’s loyalty programme.
The residences are the real novelty
For foreign buyers, the more interesting half of the Hilton LXR Costa Rica project is residential. Maravé Manuel Antonio will sell 116 fully furnished homes: 66 private villas, 46 oceanfront flats and four penthouses.
These will be the first LXR Residences in Latin America. Branded residences are homes sold under a hotel flag, with hotel services attached, and they remain rare in Costa Rica.
Owners receive Hilton Honors Diamond status and benefits across Hilton’s global luxury portfolio. Sales are expected to launch in autumn 2026.
Construction is planned to finish in late 2028, ahead of the 2029 opening. No prices for the homes have been published yet.
What LXR is, and why Costa Rica fits it
LXR Hotels & Resorts is Hilton’s collection of independent luxury properties, each keeping its own name and character. The brand counts more than 40 hotels open or in the pipeline worldwide.
The Hilton LXR Costa Rica signing follows the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique, which opened in April 2025. That was the debut of Hilton’s top luxury flag in the country.
The location does much of the selling. Manuel Antonio National Park is Costa Rica’s most visited national park, and the resort sits a few minutes from its gates.
“Costa Rica represents a key growth market for Hilton, with strong demand for high-end, nature-immersed travel,” said Pablo Maturana, Hilton’s development vice president for the Caribbean and Latin America.
The investment climate behind the signing
Costa Rica attracted a record US$5.008 billion in foreign direct investment in 2024, up 30 percent on the previous year, according to UN Tourism, the United Nations tourism agency.
Tourism took more than US$600 million of that money, about 12 percent of the total and double the year before. Between 2019 and 2024, investors announced 14 greenfield tourism projects worth an estimated US$1.317 billion, creating some 5,240 direct jobs.
Visitor numbers explain the confidence. Around 2.6 million tourists arrived in 2024, and tourism revenue was projected above US$5 billion, making travel the country’s biggest source of foreign exchange.
Europe sent 428,637 visitors in 2024, and the mix keeps shifting north. As we reported this week, Canada is now the fastest-growing source of tourists to Costa Rica in 2026.
Hilton’s wider bet on Latin America
Hilton runs more than 315 hotels in over 35 countries and territories across the Caribbean and Latin America. Its regional pipeline tops 150 hotels, the largest in its history for the region.
About 50 of those pipeline hotels sit in the luxury and lifestyle tiers. Coming openings include Waldorf Astoria San Miguel de Allende in Mexico in 2027 and Conrad Los Cabos in 2028.
The Hilton LXR Costa Rica project slots into that push as the brand’s first step into Central America’s most established eco-luxury market.
What to watch from here
For the Hilton LXR Costa Rica debut, the first test is the autumn 2026 sales launch for the residences. Pricing and take-up will show how deep demand runs for branded homes in Costa Rica.
The second is construction itself, due to finish in late 2028. Large resort projects in Costa Rica face strict environmental review, and 2029 remains a target rather than a promise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Hilton announce for Costa Rica?
Hilton signed Maravé Manuel Antonio, LXR Hotels & Resorts, on 27 August 2026. The Hilton LXR Costa Rica debut comes with opening expected in 2029.
Where is the new LXR resort in Costa Rica?
On a nearly 40-acre estate of titled beachfront in Manuel Antonio, on the central Pacific coast. The site descends from a rainforest ridge to 650 feet (about 200 metres) of beach, minutes from Manuel Antonio National Park.
How many rooms and residences will Maravé Manuel Antonio have?
There will be 173 accommodations in total: 57 hotel keys including 15 hillside bungalows, plus 116 branded residences. The residences are the first LXR Residences in Latin America.
When can you buy a residence at Maravé Manuel Antonio?
Sales are expected to launch in autumn 2026. Construction is planned to finish in late 2028, ahead of the 2029 opening.
Why is Hilton betting on Costa Rica?
Costa Rica took a record US$5.008 billion in foreign direct investment in 2024, with tourism investment doubling to more than US$600 million. Hilton already runs more than 315 hotels across the Caribbean and Latin America.
Connected Coverage
The demand behind this project is in Canada Is Now the Fastest-Growing Source of Tourists to Costa Rica in 2026, and the wider hotel investment wave in Panama Hotel Investment: Mercan Unveils US$200 Million in Projects.
Sources: Hilton (stories.hilton.com press release, 27 August 2026); Hotels Magazine; InsideFlyer; UN Tourism, “Tourism Doing Business: Investing in Costa Rica”; Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) data via press reports; La República.
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