Costa Rica’s estimated hotel supply reached 56,106 rooms in 2024, compared with 35,003 rooms in 2003. The country had 3,068 estimated hotel establishments in 2024, while monthly occupancy in the BCCR hotel occupancy table ranged from 36.65% in September to 82.24% in February 2025.
Table of contents
- Hotel supply in Costa Rica
- How the room count changed
- Registered and non-registered hotels
- Hotel nights sold index
- Monthly occupancy patterns
- 2024 and early 2025 comparison
Hotel supply in Costa Rica
The ICT hotel supply table for 2003–2024 tracks both estimated total supply and the number of establishments. These figures describe Costa Rica as a whole and are estimates where the table identifies them as estimated totals.
Estimated total hotel supply increased from 35,003 rooms in 2003 to 56,106 rooms in 2024. The table also records an increase from 2,217 establishments to 3,068 establishments over the same period. That is a gain of 21,103 rooms and 851 establishments between the two measured years.
The average size of an estimated hotel establishment rose from 15.8 rooms in 2003 to 18.3 rooms in 2024. This means the long-term supply increase was accompanied by a higher average room count across the estimated total, although the figures do not identify the reasons for that change.
| Measure | 2003 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated total rooms | 35,003 | 56,106 |
| Estimated hotel establishments | 2,217 | 3,068 |
| Average rooms per establishment | 15.8 | 18.3 |
Source: ICT hotel supply table 2003–2024.
How the room count changed
The annual estimated total shows a generally expanding hotel supply, with several periods of slower movement or decline. It stood at 36,299 rooms in 2004 and 38,737 in 2005. The count then reached 40,811 rooms in 2006, 41,340 in 2007, and 41,759 in 2008.
The estimate was 42,058 rooms in 2009, followed by 43,715 in 2010 and 44,307 in 2011. Supply reached 45,531 rooms in 2012 and 45,928 in 2013. The table records 46,523 rooms in 2014, then 48,587 in 2015 and 49,173 in 2016.
The first recorded decline in this sequence appears in 2017, when estimated supply was 48,238 rooms. It rose again to 49,562 rooms in 2018 and 50,264 in 2019. The 2020 figure was 50,102 rooms, followed by 52,518 in 2021 and 53,651 in 2022.
The estimate then stood at 52,679 rooms in 2023 before reaching the series high of 56,106 rooms in 2024. These annual totals are measurements from the ICT hotel supply table; they should not be treated as a forecast for later years.
Annual estimated total hotel rooms
| Year | Rooms | Year | Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 35,003 | 2014 | 46,523 |
| 2004 | 36,299 | 2015 | 48,587 |
| 2005 | 38,737 | 2016 | 49,173 |
| 2006 | 40,811 | 2017 | 48,238 |
| 2007 | 41,340 | 2018 | 49,562 |
| 2008 | 41,759 | 2019 | 50,264 |
| 2009 | 42,058 | 2020 | 50,102 |
| 2010 | 43,715 | 2021 | 52,518 |
| 2011 | 44,307 | 2022 | 53,651 |
| 2012 | 45,531 | 2023 | 52,679 |
| 2013 | 45,928 | 2024 | 56,106 |
Source: ICT hotel supply table 2003–2024.
Registered and non-registered hotels
The ICT table separates hotel rooms and establishments into ICT-registered and non-ICT-registered groups. In the registered group, rooms increased from 15,611 in 2003 to 29,490 in 2024. Registered establishments rose from 379 to 766 over the same period.
The average number of rooms per ICT-registered establishment moved in the other direction, from 41.2 rooms in 2003 to 38.5 rooms in 2024. The count of registered establishments therefore grew alongside the registered room total, while the reported average size was lower at the end of the period.
The non-ICT-registered group had 19,392 rooms and 1,838 establishments in 2003. By 2024, it had 26,616 rooms and 2,302 establishments. Its average rooms per establishment increased from 10.6 to 11.6.
| Category | 2003 rooms | 2024 rooms | 2003 establishments | 2024 establishments | Average rooms, 2003 → 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICT-registered | 15,611 | 29,490 | 379 | 766 | 41.2 → 38.5 |
| Non-ICT-registered | 19,392 | 26,616 | 1,838 | 2,302 | 10.6 → 11.6 |
Source: ICT hotel supply table 2003–2024.
These categories help explain why the estimated national average was 18.3 rooms per establishment in 2024 while the registered group averaged 38.5 rooms and the non-registered group averaged 11.6 rooms. The groups represent different portions of the hotel supply and should be read separately.
The establishment counts also add important context to the room totals. A rise in rooms does not necessarily mean that every destination added large properties. The table records both the number of properties and their average size, allowing the national supply to be viewed as a combination of property count and rooms per property.
Hotel nights sold index
The BCCR hotel occupancy table reports a hotel nights sold index for monthly periods from April 2023 through March 2025. The index was 97.17 in April 2023, then 83.22 in May and 85.25 in June. It reached 94.94 in July and 85.54 in August before falling to 64.36 in September and 63.32 in October.
The index recovered to 88.72 in November 2023 and 97.59 in December. In the first quarter of 2024, it was 100.81 in January, 105.25 in February, and 110.02 in March. It then measured 95.54 in April, 88.72 in May, 88.45 in June, 92.47 in July, and 84.48 in August.
The lowest 2024 index value in the supplied monthly series was 59.42 in September. October recorded 65.35, followed by 90.67 in November and 104.04 in December. The index was 109.19 in January 2025, 102.31 in February, and 110.35 in March.
Monthly occupancy patterns
The same BCCR table reports occupancy rates for the corresponding months. In 2023, the rate was 70.06% in April, 57.87% in May, and 62.97% in June. It rose to 68.51% in July, then measured 60.36% in August, 46.28% in September, and 44.25% in October. The final two reported months were 67.46% in November and 71.89% in December.
Occupancy was higher at the start of 2024: 76.29% in January, 83.54% in February, and 81.84% in March. It was 69.76% in April, 61.98% in May, 64.41% in June, 65.78% in July, and 57.36% in August. September recorded 36.65%, the lowest occupancy rate in the supplied series. October was 42.54%, followed by 68.53% in November and 68.98% in December.
The early-2025 readings were 76.05% in January, 82.24% in February, and 75.80% in March. The month-by-month data show lower occupancy in September and October than in the surrounding months in both 2023 and 2024, while the highest reported rates occurred in February 2024 and February 2025.
2024 and early 2025 comparison
The index and occupancy readings provide two related but distinct views of hotel activity. The index reached 110.02 in March 2024 and 110.35 in March 2025. Occupancy, however, was 81.84% in March 2024 and 75.80% in March 2025. In February, the index was 105.25 in 2024 and 102.31 in 2025, while occupancy was 83.54% and 82.24%, respectively.
| Month | Hotel nights sold index, 2024 | Occupancy, 2024 | Hotel nights sold index, 2025 | Occupancy, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 100.81 | 76.29% | 109.19 | 76.05% |
| February | 105.25 | 83.54% | 102.31 | 82.24% |
| March | 110.02 | 81.84% | 110.35 | 75.80% |
Source: BCCR hotel occupancy table. The 2025 figures cover January through March only.
For readers planning time outdoors in Costa Rica, these statistics describe national hotel capacity and reported monthly hotel activity rather than conditions at a specific lodge, beach town, mountain area, or park gateway. Local availability can differ from the national totals, and the ICT supply figures and BCCR activity measures use different tables and measurement concepts.